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I 


GILES OF THE STAR 

The Boy Who Would Be a Knight 

































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I 


I 




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Guilbert’s sword flew from his hand, only to fall 
HARMLESSLY AT GILES’S FEET. — PtUJC 57 . 









GILES OF THE STAR 

The Boy Who Would Be a Knight 


By 

REBECCA RICE 

II 

/ 

Illustrated by 

W. M. BERGER 




BOSTON 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 

c c V|lS.a 


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V 


j O'‘ 


Copyright, 1928, 

By Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 

All Rights Reserved 

Giles of the Star 


Printed in U. S. A. 



©Cl A 1054594 






CONTENTS 


I. 

Concerning Knighthood . 


9 

II. 

Lady Millicent .... 


26 

III. 

Plot and Counterplot . 


38 

IV. 

What Befell at Rhywick Spring . 


50 

V. 

A Feast at Avalon .... 


64 

VI. 

The Flight. 


75 

VII. 

Nanny . 


90 

VIII. 

A Golden Chain .... 


IOI 

IX. 

Plans Awry. 


106 

X. 

The Flight From the Cell 


125 

XI. 

Shelter. 


139 

XII. 

An Unexpected Event 


147 

XIII. 

An Enemy’s Wish Comes True 


155 

XIV. 

Guilbert. 


166 

XV. 

The Escape ..... 


176 

XVI. 

Lich ESTER. 


182 

XVII. 

Against Odds. 


198 

XVIII. 

Training for Knighthood 


208 

XIX. 

The Battle. 


218 

XX. 

Gurth Gets the Upper Hand 


234 

XXI. 

To the Rescue. 


246 

XXII. 

An Old Enemy Appears . 


259 

XXIII. 

The Chase. 


274 


5 






6 


CONTENTS 


XXIV. 

War .... 





XXV. 

The Siege . 

• 

• 


. 295 

XXVI. 

Giles’s Opportunity . 

• 

• 


. 306 

XXVII. 

Dawn . • . 

• 

• 


• 323 

XXVIII. 

Giles of Avalon 

• 

• 


• 334 




ILLUSTRATIONS 


Guilbert’s sword flew from his hand, 
only to fall harmlessly at Giles’s 
feet (Page 57) . . . Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

There at the entrance of the cell stood the 
prettiest little girl that Giles had ever 
seen.26 

There was a crackling of the bushes behind 

them, and out stepped Rod . . .160 

Then, rising swiftly to his feet, he sped for 

the well.228 

With a few, quick movements Giles cut the 

bonds that held him .... 272 

“ England needs such lads as you, my boy,” 

said King Richard .... 342 


7 



GILES OF THE STAR 


CHAPTER I 

CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 

As the clear yet distant sound of the hunter’s 
horn sounded far below on the road that led up to 
the old castle of Avalon, a twelve-year-old boy 
sprang to the top of Overlook Rock that he might 
better see the gay cavalcade of knights and ladies 
as they swept around the base of the hill. Since 
the coming of Lord Alford several months before, 
many such gay parties had gone from the grim, 
gray castle, past Overlook Rock to the plain below. 

Giles often wished that he might be on the rock 
when they rode past it, but that was impossible. 
They were in hiding, he and Anselm, the hermit, 
and in no way must he jeopardize the safety of his 
friend’s secret. 

Why they were in hiding, the boy did not know. 
In some respects it did not seem like hiding at all, 
for both he and Anselm went to the village at will, 
talked freely with the peasants that lived there, 
and roamed about the countryside without being 
afraid. It was only when they were near the cell 
which was their home that they were careful not 

9 


10 


GILES OF THE STAR 

to be seen. The whole countryside knew the her¬ 
mit Anselm and the boy Giles, but no one knew 
where they made their home. 

Again came the stirring notes of the hunter’s 
horn. The boy reveled in the sound. He loved to 
watch the easy canter of the spirited horses with 
their beautiful glittering bridles and gayly colored 
saddles. He liked to see the tossing manes and 
tails of the splendid chargers on which the knights 
rode. How he envied Lord Alford the possession 
of his splendid mount! How wonderful it would 
be to ride off to deeds of valor on a steed like that! 
Giles was sure that he would not bother with silly 
little hunting expeditions. He would ride off 
proudly to do battle with some fierce outlaw that 
was harrying the land, or else to slay a fire¬ 
breathing dragon if he could find any such. Above 
all else, Giles longed to become a knight. 

“ If I were the son of a knight, I would be 
trained for knighthood,” he thought bitterly, as 
the gay company passed from his sight around a 
bend in the path. “ I would have a splendid black 
charger with crimson-and-gold trappings. I 
would follow Richard, my king, to the land of the 
infidel to take the Holy City from the hands of 
the Mohammedans.” 

He hugged his knees and gave himself up to 
day-dreaming. “ If this were a wishing rock,” he 
mused, “ I would wish for adventure. Nothing 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD u 

exciting ever happens to me. I would wish that I 
might get a chance to prove that I was worthy of 
knighthood, peasant though I am.” 

He sighed deeply, then, thinking of the work 
that lay before him, he slipped carefully from one 
notch which had been cut in the rock to another 
in the side of the cliff away from the path to the 
castle. Behind him towered the huge rock that 
lay between the rest of the world and his secret 
home. On one side, ran the path that led to 
Avalon. Along this road, people passed every day, 
but only to the chosen few was the secret of An¬ 
selm’s cell known. To any one coming up the 
path, the top of the rock would have appeared 
inaccessible. Beyond this rock was the home of 
the hermit. 

Hidden from above by an overhanging precipice 
and from below by tall trees and another precipice, 
with the only way to reach it a dangerous climb 
over the rock, it was no wonder that its existence 
was not only unknown to the villagers, but to the 
inmates of the castle as well. 

Far above the cell, perched like an eagle’s eyrie 
in some mountain fastness, stood the beautiful old 
castle of Avalon. It was not large, as castles of 
the time went, but it was so well built, and so 
strongly fortified both by its position and work¬ 
manship that it would take a clever enemy to force 
it to surrender. For twelve years the old castle 


12 


GILES OF THE STAR 


had been very quiet and somber. No gay parties 
had ridden to or from the castle. No splendid 
banquets had been held in the big hall. A double 
tragedy had robbed the castle of both knight and 
lady in a single week. The castle had come into 
the baby hands of their little daughter, Millicent, 
now a delicate girl of twelve springtimes. 

She, with the exception of a renegade uncle who 
had been outlawed by King Richard, was the only 
one left to bear the proud old name. But Richard 
was far away, fighting in a distant land. His 
brother John was left to rule in England. When 
Roderick, whom Richard had appointed guardian 
to the little Millicent, died, her uncle, the wicked 
Alford, returned to Avalon with authority from 
the king’s brother, John, to be guardian to Milli¬ 
cent. Since his arrival there had been gay doings 
at the castle. 

As Giles picked his way along the narrow ledge 
that led to the cell, he thought for the hundredth 
time what a pity it was that the Lady Millicent 
had been born a girl. How a boy would enjoy 
the training he would receive to make him a 
knight! How he would enjoy wandering about 
the grim old armory with its lifelike coats of mail, 
daggers, swords, lances, and shields! 

“ I am glad I’m a boy,” he thought as he turned 
the last corner. u It must be terrible to be a girl. 
I would rather be a peasant boy than a little lady.” 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 13 

A tall man was standing in front of the cell wait¬ 
ing for him. He was young and strong-looking, 
but dressed in the plain, coarse robe of a hermit. 
He was standing very erect, looking down the val¬ 
ley. He, too, had heard the ringing call of the 
horn. Had it spoken to his heart as well? There 
was a strained, worried look upon his face as he 
turned to greet Giles. 

The boy thought that Anselm would make as 
good a knight as the best of them if he were dressed 
in helmet and coat of mail. He looked more like 
a soldier about to go into battle than like a hermit. 
Again came the clear, ringing call of the horn. It 
was as faint and as far away as if fairy-blown. 
Anselm smiled understandingly at the enthusiasm 
that he saw on the boy’s face. 

“ I can see that the bugle has spoken to your 
heart also, lad,” he said, laying his hand upon the 
boy’s shoulder. “ It is well, for the call of chivalry 
to the heart of a youth brings all the best in him to 
life.” 

“ I want to be a knight! ” cried out the boy pas¬ 
sionately. “ I want to carry a sword for the right, 
and ride off to do noble deeds. I want to do deeds 
of valor, but I am only a peasant. I am worse off 
than most of the peasant boys, for I have neither 
father nor mother. Why cannot we lads of the 
village and countryside be knights? We can be 
loyal to our king. We can stand bravely up for 


1 


GILES OF THE STAR 


14 

what is right. Why can we never be more than 
men-at-arms or simple farmers? ” 

Anselm looked down with pride at the manly 
boy at his side. “ The time has nearly come,” he 
said to himself, but what he said aloud was, “ Do 
you know what knighthood really means, or has 
your eye been dazzled only by the glittering lance 
and the prancing steed? ” 

“ I think I do,” replied Giles simply. 

“ It means far more than wielding a fine sword 
and bearing a fine banner. It means following the 
king through defeat as well as victory, crushing 
the wrong under the heel of iron, and raising up 
the humble and downtrodden. It means the sacri¬ 
fice of life itself for the right, if need be. It is not 
easy to be a knight, Giles.” 

Giles’s fine gray eyes had kindled and, instinc¬ 
tively, he had straightened up until he stood tall 
and arrow-like. 

“ That is the kind of knight that I would like to 
be,” replied Giles. “ It does not matter about the 
fine horse and the trappings of crimson and gold, 
although it would be a fine thing to have them as 
well. I could do without the fine castle, but,” he 
spoke sadly, “ I was born a peasant.” 

Anselm raised his arm and pointed to the majes¬ 
tic castle that crowned the hill. It was stately and 
beautiful in the morning light. There was an in¬ 
tensity in the man’s face that brought an answer- 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 15 

ing thrill to the heart of the boy who stood before 
him. 

“ You were born in the shadow of Avalon,” the 
hermit said impressively. “ Your life belongs to 
her. When you are a man, you will fight under 
her standard. Were there a lord of the castle, 
you would fight by his side, but there is no lord. 
There is naught but a helpless little lass that may, 
in time, need your service even more than the lord 
of the castle would. You can be a knight, Giles, 
a knight in deed and in spirit if not in reality, and 
remember, lad, that before the throne of God if 
you are a knight in heart and action, there you 
are a knight in reality, as well.” 

Giles’s heart beat faster. It seemed as if his 
friend’s voice were speaking directly to his heart. 
With the sun turning his hair to gold and with his 
head thrown back, he looked very handsome as he 
stood there. 

“ I will be that kind of a knight,” he said ear¬ 
nestly. “ On my word of honor, I promise it.” 

The hermit looked down at the boy whom he 
loved so dearly, looked keenly into the straight¬ 
forward, gray eyes that mirrored a brave heart. 
He looked deeply, and was satisfied. 

Together they entered the hermit’s cell to begin 
the work of the day. It was a curious place. A 
waterfall coming over the precipice above hid the 
entrance. By skirting close to the cliff one might 


i6 


GILES OF THE STAR 


enter without getting wet, but no one would guess 
from the appearance of the place that the water¬ 
fall hid a secret door. Giles thought it a wonder¬ 
ful hiding-place. It was all very natural,—noth¬ 
ing to suggest the work of man. 

Behind the waterfall a small room had been 
made. The action of water had helped shape the 
cavity, but men’s hands had enlarged it and lined 
it with wooden wainscoting. Inside the cell were 
two pallets on the floor and a huge oaken chest. 

It was too dark in the cell for fine work. An¬ 
selm had made a table for himself which he used 
out-of-doors. From the curiously carved oaken 
chest he took a precious volume, the Bible. Books 
in those days were almost unheard of. Every book 
was copied, word for word, by the hand of some 
monk. Handwritten and beautifully illustrated in 
rare colors on snowy vellum, the finished Bible 
represented the life-work of a dozen men. At the 
beginning of each chapter, twined about the first 
letter, were intricate designs, scrolls of blue and 
gold. At the ends of the chapters were triangular 
tailpieces, exquisitely wrought. 

Anselm was painstakingly copying the book of 
Psalms on new pieces of vellum. He was hard at 
work upon a beautiful initial letter in crimson and 
gold. Giles was painfully learning to read and 
write Latin. It was difficult and up-hill work, 
and only the fact that he was learning to do some- 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 17 

thing that no one else in the village knew kept him 
at work on it. 

“ Why is it that not another boy in all the village 
is learning this stuff? ” he asked after a few min¬ 
utes of hard work. “None of the grown people 
know it, either.” 

“ There are many of the knights who can neither 
read nor write,” replied Anselm, bending low over 
his work. 

“Why is it that you are teaching it to me?” 
asked Giles. “ Do you want me to go into the 
church or copy books as you do? ” 

“ It is sometimes wise for others beside church¬ 
men to read and write,” replied Anselm. “ Sup¬ 
pose you were in great danger and I could not 
come to you. If I could write and you could read, 
I could send a warning to you, or if you were away 
from me, sick, wounded, or unhappy, then you 
could write a letter that would bring me to your 
side. Can you not see how a few words of writing 
might benefit you? ” 

“Yes,” agreed Giles. “Are there other reasons 
why I should learn to read? ” 

Anselm held up the big, beautiful Bible and 
opened it to the story of Joseph. He read a little 
of it in Latin and then translated it into English. 
Giles listened intently, for the story of Joseph was 
one of his favorites. At last Anselm put the big 
book on the table. 


i 8 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ In this book before you, are many treasures,” 
he said solemnly. “To most of the world, this 
treasure-box is sealed by ignorance. If you can 
read, the key to this treasure is in your hands.” 

“Your work is making a treasure of what is 
lying under your hand,” said Giles, admiringly, 
leaving his bench to look over his teacher’s shoul¬ 
der. “ I think that scroll is more beautiful than 
any I have seen you do before.” 

Anselm shook his head, rose, and reentered his 
cell. From the depths of his chest he took a roll of 
parchment carefully wrapped in old linen. 

“ Every great house has its coat of arms, lad,” 
he said. “ Each coat of arms shows some symbol 
which has a deep meaning for its owner. It is the 
symbol of what he wants his life to be. Here be¬ 
fore you is the coat of arms that is emblazoned in 
the great house on the hill.” 

Giles watched breathlessly while the hermit un¬ 
rolled the linen covering. There before him, 
glowing with crimson and gold, was the Avalon 
coat of arms. At its center was an unsheathed 
sword, while beneath it, in crimson and gold, was 
inscribed a Latin word. 

“The sword is the symbol of readiness,” ex¬ 
plained Anselm, pointing it out. “ Below is the 
white flower of innocence and purity. The crim¬ 
son flowers about the white stand for the dauntless 
bravery of those who have been ready to die to 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 


19 

uphold some ideal of right. Men have died to 
keep that flower unstained.” 

Giles went back to his seat thinking deeply, and, 
strange to say, it was of Latin that he thought. It 
had given him a great deal of satisfaction to know, 
without asking, the meaning of the Latin motto 
upon the coat of arms, Servo, u I serve.” That 
was a motto worth striving for. 

“ If I am to be a knight, even a make-believe 
one, I ought to have a coat of arms.” He spoke 
this thought to Anselm, adding that he wished he 
had a fine motto also. 

“Semper verus” replied Anselm in Latin. 

“Semper means i always,’ ” said Giles reflec¬ 
tively. “ I don’t know the meaning of the rest of 
it.” 

“ The whole motto means ‘ Always true,’ ” re¬ 
sponded Anselm. “ It is a good motto. Consider 
it well.” 

With a sharp stick Giles traced the words on the 
hard earth. It was a good motto and he was proud 
of it, but he still lacked his coat of arms. A coat 
of arms was made up of pictures which meant 
something to their owner. 

“ I’ll make one up,” thought the boy. u I will 
have a star for the center of it.” 

He had often lain out under the stars at night, 
looking up into the dark-blue vault above. Some¬ 
how he had such big hopes as he lay there looking 


20 


GILES OF THE STAR 


up at them that it seemed as if a star belonged to 
him. Inside the outline of a six-pointed star he 
decided to put smaller symbols. Quickly he 
scratched the rude outline of a star about his 
motto. 

“ A knight is true first to God,” he thought, as 
he drew the sun in the uppermost point. “ He is 
true to Christ.” In another point he drew a cross. 
“ After that he must be true to the king of the land. 
For him I will draw a crown. I would put a lion, 
for people say that he has the strength and courage 
of a lion, but a lion is a very difficult beast to draw, 
as I have never seen one. Richard, Coeur de Lion, 
heart of a lion! What would I not give if I might 
earn a name like that! ” 

For some time he pondered over a fitting symbol 
for Avalon, and at last decided upon the sword. 
Opposite to the sword he drew the white flower of 
innocence. And as he could think of no fitting 
symbol for the remaining point, he called Anselm’s 
attention to it. 

“ The star stands for the feeling that I have 
when I hear the bugle,” he explained shyly. “ I 
don’t know what to call it, but it makes me want 
to ride off and do something wonderful and heroic. 
The motto you gave me. I wish to be semper verus 
to the things that these smaller devices stand for, 
God and the church, as King Richard is true to 
them; King Richard himself, for I will never call 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 21 


John king; Avalon; and the little Lady Millicent. 
I have not decided upon the last point yet, but I 
should like it to stand for something very fine.” 

“ Let it be for the record of your first knightly 
deed,” proposed Anselm. There was a mist in the 
man’s eyes as he looked upon the crude drawing 
at his feet, but there was a lovely smile about his 
lips as he replied, “ I will make for you a copy of 
your coat of arms. On snowy vellum and with 
rare colors will I make it, that you may always 
have a reminder of your vows, taken this day. 
There is a need for knighthood in Avalon, for the 
times are troublous. There is a need for the knight¬ 
hood of spirit, which far exceeds the worth of the 
knighthood of blood. I do not know, but I fear 
that there will be work, and work right soon, for 
all those who are loyal in heart to Lady Millicent 
of Avalon. There is danger to her in the very air 
about her. I believe that Alford is here to cause 
trouble.” 

Giles looked at Anselm in open-mouthed won¬ 
der. Never had he seen him so excited. 

“ You have never spoken to me like this before,” 
said the boy wonderingly. “ Why do you think 
that there is danger? In what way will it affect 
us? Shall we not live here as we have always 
lived? Tell me what you mean.” 

Anselm’s eyes were fixed upon the huge, tower¬ 
ing castle above them. There was a grim expres- 


22 


GILES OF THE STAR 


sion about his lips, and his eyes were stern. Giles 
hardly knew his friend in this mood. It was just 
as if he had suddenly become some one else. Giles 
was strangely stirred. 

“ Why do you think that Lord Alford means to 
make trouble? ” asked the boy. 

“ I will tell to you the tale of the old castle, that 
you may know of the danger that overhangs our 
little lady,” replied the man. “ It is well that you 
should know at least a part of the tale.” 

Giles drew nearer. What story was there that 
he did not know of the old castle? Ever since 
babyhood he had begged and received tales of it. 

“ Years ago the duke, Lady Millicent’s grand¬ 
father, was the Lord of Avalon. He had two sons, 
Giles and Alford. Giles was the elder, which 
was fortunate, for he was all that a young knight 
should be, brave, honorable, and kind. He mar¬ 
ried a very beautiful and high-born lady, who was 
the only daughter of the Lord of Lichester. They 
loved each other devotedly and were very happy, 
although the families of Lichester and Avalon 
had been at war. Shortly after the marriage the 
old duke became sick. The following year he 
died, leaving, as is the custom, both title and riches 
to the elder son. Only a few weeks after his 
father’s death, the new duke was found in the 
forest dead. He had been shot with an arrow. 

“ The very night that he was brought back to the 


CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 23 

castle, the Lady Millicent was born. Her lovely 
mother died the same night. The shock was too 
much for her. Every one thought that Alford 
would be made the new duke. They were much 
surprised when the king ruled against it, putting 
one of his own knights as guardian to the little 
lady.” 

“ Why was not Lord Alford made the guard¬ 
ian? ” questioned Giles. 

“ Lord Alford was accused of treachery to the 
king and to his own brother,” replied Anselm. 
“ One of the knights of the castle mistrusted 
him, but he did not realize that he would kill his 
brother. It was discovered that he was guilty of 
that as well as of plotting against the king him¬ 
self. The same man, Sir Benedict, discovered the 
plot and reported it to the king. Alford would 
have hanged upon the gallows had he not fled from 
Avalon. Now he has returned. The guardian 
that the late King Henry chose is now dead. Al¬ 
ford has returned to take his place.” 

“ But,” objected Giles, u is he not still a fugi¬ 
tive? Did the king pardon him? ” 

“ No,” returned Anselm, “ but King Henry is 
dead, King Richard is fighting Saladin in the Holy 
Land, and John rules England till Richard’s re¬ 
turn. Richard hates Alford, but John,” here An¬ 
selm’s voice sank to a whisper, “ John is known to 
favor the enemies of Richard.” 


24 


GILES OF THE STAR 


Giles’s hands clenched. His eyes blazed. Right 
well he knew that John was disloyal to Richard. 
So well did he like being left in power that he 
strengthened his position in all ways possible. He 
made friends with those who were known to be dis¬ 
loyal to the king. He tried to make trouble be¬ 
tween good friends. 

“ Alford is well liked by King John. He is not 
afraid that the king will deal severely with him 
so long as he brings him in money. I fear he 
means harm to the little Lady of Avalon,” went on 
Anselm. “ There may be nothing that we can do, 
but-” 

“We will be ready,” finished Giles. 

Again they took up their work, but with only 
half-hearted interest. Giles was thinking deeply 
of the tale that he had just heard. Knights always 
helped fair ladies when they were in danger. He 
had heard of many deeds of valor from their men- 
at-arms who often gathered at the tavern. Anselm 
had told him tales of King Arthur, and of the 
good old days when knights were brave and ladies 
fair. 

In imagination he fought most gallantly for the 
Lady of Avalon. It would be a trial by challenge, 
a fight to the bitter end. Clad in armor of finest 
steel links he would ride against the wicked Al¬ 
ford. His horse would be a coal-black charger, a 
horse without compare. With shield before him 



CONCERNING KNIGHTHOOD 25 

and lance poised, he would charge against the 
enemy. There would be a terrific shock. Alford’s 
lance would be splintered so that he would have 
to get a new one. Then his horse would wheel and 
charge. Across the field they would gallop. 
Again would come the fierce impact. Alford 
would totter in his saddle. With a terrible cry he 
would fall beneath the very hoofs of his own 
prancing steed. 

Then would come a mighty shout from the lips 
of all beholders. The victor’s crown would be 
placed upon his head by the hand of Lady Mil- 
licent herself. Her crimson-and-gold favor would 
adorn his arm. 

It was a pleasant make-believe. The boy’s eyes 
were dreamy as he looked off into the distance. 
There was a half smile on his face as he thought 
of the distant victory that should be his. He did 
not hear the grating noise in the cell behind him. 
He could not see the panel which slipped out of 
place. A slight exclamation of fright and sur¬ 
prise made him turn hastily. There at the en¬ 
trance of the cell stood the prettiest little girl that 
Giles had ever seen. 


CHAPTER II 


/ 


LADY MILLICENT 

IF an angel had stepped right out of heaven, 
Giles could not have been more amazed. With 
wide-open mouth and eyes he stared at her. Blue 
and gold! She looked like a beautiful painting, 
with the coloring of Anselm’s scroll. Her dress 
was of the rich blue that is sometimes seen in the 
paintings of the Madonna, and over it her golden 
hair fell in curling waves to her shoulders. In 
her hand she held a waxen taper, still lighted. 
She was about as old as Giles himself. 

For several moments the two children stared at 
each other in wonder. There was startled ques¬ 
tioning in the soft blue eyes of the girl, and blank 
amazement and wonder in the boy’s regard. See¬ 
ing nothing to alarm her, the girl stepped forward 
toward Giles and spoke. “ You look at me as though 
you thought that I was a spirit, but I am not,” 
she said. “ I am here by an accident. Can you 
tell me where I am, and how I may return to the 
castle? I am the Lady Millicent.” 

That she was the Lady Millicent, Giles had 
already guessed. He had seen her many times be¬ 
fore, but always at a distance, and never face to 
face. He was horribly embarrassed, for he was 

26 



There at the entrance of the cell stood the prettiest 

LITTLE GIRL THAT GILES HAD EVER SEEN .—Page 25 . 


f 





LADY MILLICENT 


27 

not used to girls. He knew that she was a lady 
born, and did not know how to address her. It 
was Anselm who replied to her question. 

“ I am Anselm, the hermit,” he said quietly. 
“ Giles is my comrade. It will be best that you 
return to your castle by the way you left it, for 
it would never do to betray the secret of the passage 
to other members of the castle. It is one of the 
secrets of the family of Avalon.” 

Millicent shivered. “ I suppose that you are 
right,” she admitted, “ but I am afraid of the dark, 
gloomy passage. My torch showed me only 
enough to frighten me. I saw ugly spiders hang¬ 
ing from the ceiling, and a huge gray rat crossed 
my path.” 

“ I will return with you,” said Giles, finally 
finding the use of his tongue. “ I am not afraid of 
rats or spiders.” Then, curiosity getting the better 
of him, he blurted out, “ Won’t you tell us how 
you managed to find your way to this place? I 
never knew that there was such a passage.” 

u Yes,” she replied, “ I will tell you, although if 
you had not seen me come through the secret way 
I could not speak of it, as I made a promise to old 
Roderick that I would keep my knowledge a secret. 
It was Roderick who showed me how to open the 
way. I think he knew that he was about to die, 
for one day, when there was no one in the hall, he 
bolted the doors and showed me the hidden spring. 


28 


GILES OF THE STAR 


He told me that it was built many years ago, so 
that, in case the castle was attacked, the lord of the 
castle might escape or get food from the outside 
world. He said that very few people knew of it. 
He even said that I must not tell the secret to my 
uncle, in case he returned. I promised that I 
would guard the secret faithfully, and now you 
know.” 

She looked so sad that Giles was afraid she was 
going to cry, so he said quickly, “ You can trust 
me. I will not tell any one your secret.” 

There was a very curious yet tender smile on 
Anselm’s face as he replied, “ Neither of us will 
betray you.” 

Millicent looked relieved and wiped her eyes on 
the hem of her blue gown. “ He said I was to 
use it in case of great danger.” 

“Were you in great danger?” asked Giles 
eagerly. His eyes were ashine with interest. Per¬ 
haps this would be his first chance to do a brave, 
knightly deed. Even Anselm’s face failed to hide 
his interest, for he had been worried about the 
safety of the girl, but she only laughed lightly. 

“ No,” she confessed. “ It was only curiosity. 
I wanted to find out to what kind of a place it 
would lead me. Instead of going to ride this 
morning with the rest of the party from the castle, 
I made an excuse to remain at home. It dis¬ 
pleased the fine lady nurse that my uncle brought 


LADY MILLICENT 29 

with him from London, I can tell you.” She 
stopped short, for Anselm had uttered a sharp 
quick exclamation. 

“ Is Nanny no longer your nurse?” he asked, 
and again a mist of tears came into the little girl’s 
eyes. 

“ Uncle Alford sent her away just the other 
day,” she replied sadly. “ He said that she was 
not fine enough for me, so he brought me another. 
I do not love the new one nearly so well as I loved 
old Nanny, and I know that she does not love me. 
All she thinks of is the men servants of the castle. 
That is why she was so angry when I did not go 
to ride, but it was all right when I told her that 
I should not need her all morning. When there 
was no one in the hall I slipped my hand beneath 
the tapestry and pushed back the panel. It was 
so dark that I lighted one of the torches. A flight 
of stone steps led down into the ground. It was 
so very dark that I decided to go only down a step 
or two, but the panel slipped back into place the 
moment I let it go, and when I tried to open it I 
found I was locked out” 

“ Did you call out? ” asked Anselm. 

Millicent looked reproachful. 

“ Do you think I would be the first to betray 
that secret? ” she said. 

“ What did you do?” asked Giles, who had been 
hanging upon her words. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


30 

“ Cried at first,” she admitted. “ Then I de¬ 
cided to go down the stairs and find out what was 
at the other end. It was very dark, and I was 
afraid. The first set of steps went straight down, 
but after that they wound first one way and then 
another. At last I came to a place where the 
passage went along on the same level. At the end 
of it I found another panel, but this one slipped 
easily. When I pushed it open I found myself in 
your cave under the waterfall. You won’t tell any 
one about it? ” she finished anxiously. 

“ My child,” said Anselm gravely, “ I knew of 
that secret passage before you were born. I was 
only a boy then, and your father’s younger friend. 
Together we stumbled upon it, and I promised 
your father on my word of honor that I would 
keep his secret. I promise the same to you.” 

That promise satisfied Millicent. She turned to 
face the entrance of the cell. “ How well it is 
hidden!” she commented. Then her quick eyes 
caught sight of the blue-and-gold design on which 
Anselm was working. She uttered a little cry of 
delight. Nothing would satisfy her but seeing him 
actually at work on the delicate scroll. At Giles’s 
request he showed her the Avalon coat of arms 
and told her the meaning of the various symbols 
upon it. The whole design delighted her, for she 
had been taught from a baby to revere the name of 
Avalon, with all that the name meant. 


LADY MILLICENT 


3i 

“ Ask Giles to show you his, and get him to tell 
you what it means,” suggested Anselm with a 
smile. Millicent looked at Giles in wonder. 
Why should a boy dressed in the faded blue of a 
peasant garb have a coat of arms? It was true 
that there was something different in Giles’s bear¬ 
ing from that of most country boys whom she had 
seen, and yet he was so poor that his only home 
was a cell on the mountain side, and he was dressed 
in the blue homespun of a peasant. 

“ Have you a coat of arms, Giles? ” she asked, 
much mystified. Giles blushed hotly. He wished 
that Anselm had not mentioned the matter. Of 
course, his coat of arms was just a make-believe, 
but it was a dear make-believe, and he could not 
bear to have it ridiculed. 

“ It is not a real one,” he explained in much em¬ 
barrassment. “ I made it up. I have always 
wanted to be a knight and do brave and knightly 
deeds, but peasant boys do not have chances to 
become knights. I cannot become a real knight, 
but Anselm told me that I could be a knight at 
heart and in deed, and, because knights have crests 
and mottoes to help them to remember to act in 
all ways as a knight should act, I made one up to 
help me.” 

Millicent knelt down by the rough drawing 
upon the ground. There was no ridicule on her 
sweet face as she bent over it. There was only 


32 GILES OF THE STAR 

warm interest and sympathy. Anselm, looking on, 
was pleased by what he saw. 

“ Here is a star, the sun, a motto, a cross, a 
sword, and a flower,” she said. “ Please tell me 
what each means.” 

“ The big star stands for the feeling that I have 
inside me, the wish to be a knight and to do brave 
deeds,” explained Giles enthusiastically, eagerness 
getting the best of shyness. " Semper verus means 
i always true.’ I want to be true to God, as good 
King Richard was true to Him, and then true to 
King Richard himself.” 

“ But King Richard is dead,” said Millicent. 
“ He was drowned. Uncle Alford says that I must 
call John king.” 

“ I will never call John king,” replied Giles 
hotly. “ He has worked against his brother, try¬ 
ing to stir up trouble among the nobles. He 
wanted Richard to die so he might get the throne.” 

“ Old Roderick used to love Richard,” said Mil¬ 
licent thoughtfully. Then she turned back to the 
picture on the ground. She put her finger upon 
the crown, pleased that she could read meaning 
into the symbols before her. 

“ I know that the sword stands for Avalon,” she 
said. “ It is the same as on my coat of arms.” 

“ Giles has promised always to be true to Ava¬ 
lon,” put in Anselm. “ You can trust him, for al¬ 
ready he has sworn fealty to you.” 


LADY MILLICENT 


33 

“ Thank you, Giles,” replied Millicent simply. 
It was the custom of all those living on land be¬ 
longing to a knight to promise him their services 
in time of danger and need. This was called 
swearing fealty. Millicent felt very grown-up, 
and she liked Giles even better than before. 

“ The white flower is a part of my coat of arms,” 
she said. “ It means purity.” 

For some time they talked about the gallant 
deeds of knighthood. Millicent told Giles about 
the life at the castle. It was all very fascinating 
to the boy who, for years, had longed for castle 
training. She told him about the armory where 
coats of mail, spears, lances, and swords were kept. 

“ I do not like the place,” she told him. “ It is 
dreadfully dark there, and the empty coats of mail 
standing about look like grim warriors.” 

They talked of King Richard, and Millicent’s 
eyes grew moist when they spoke of his death. 

“ Roderick used to tell me wonderful stories of 
his bravery. He wanted to follow him to the Holy 
Land. Oh, it was terrible that he, the hope of all 
England, should be drowned on the way back to 
his kingdom! I love to talk of the bravery of 
King Richard, but I dare not mention him in my 
uncle’s hearing, for he hated Richard and was 
loyal to John, even when Richard was alive.” 

Anselm and Giles exchanged glances. They 
were both thinking of their conversation before 


GILES OF THE STAR 


34 

Millicent came through the secret passage, for 
every word she said verified it. 

“ Sir Roderick used to love King Richard, and 
I loved him, too. He said that some day I would 
realize all that he had done for me, but I know 
that Uncle Alford hates him. He said that John 
would be a better king than Richard because he 
was always in England, but my guardian did not 
like John. He said that he was disloyal both to 
his country and brother. When I told Uncle Al¬ 
ford what Sir Roderick said, he was furious. He 
swore horribly, and said I must never mention Sir 
Roderick’s name in his presence.” 

An almost frightened expression came into her 
face at the recollection which Giles and Anselm 
were quick to see. Giles very much wanted to 
know what Lord Alford had said to frighten her 
so badly, but he did not consider it a polite ques¬ 
tion to ask. 

“ It must be great fun to have so much going on 
at the castle,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. 
A wistful expression came into Millicent’s pretty 
eyes. 

“ I—I don’t think I like the change very much,” 
she confessed slowly. “ My guardian, Sir Roderick, 
used to love me, and my nurse loved me, but Uncle 
Alford said that she was too old-fashioned, and he 
sent her away. He has sent away all the old serv¬ 
ants that cared for me, and that I cared for. My 


LADY MILLICENT 


35 

new nurse is far more interested in the men serv¬ 
ants than she is in me.” 

“ Do you care for your uncle?” said Anselm 
bluntly. Millicent looked at him inquiringly, and 
hesitated. It was a very hard question to answer 
truthfully and politely. Besides, it would never 
do to confess to these strangers, kind as they were, 
that she could not bear her only uncle on her 
father’s side of the family, and that she quivered 
with fear whenever his dark, sinister eyes looked 
at her. 

“ He brought me a fine puppet from London 
town,” she said after a moment’s pause. It was an 
evasive answer, but Anselm was satisfied. He had 
seen the look of dislike and perplexity that crossed 
her face, and he felt reasonably sure that his fears 
concerning her were justified. Her only safety lay 
in the fact that Lord Alford could get what he 
wanted by simply taking control at Avalon, and 
that, to do this, it was not necessary to harm her. 
Still her gentle-eyed goodness and purity must be 
a continual reproach to him. Anselm determined 
to keep a careful watch upon Alford. 

“You must remain here no longer,” he said at 
length, rising. “ They will miss you and begin to 
search.” 

“ They would never find me here,” she replied 
confidently. 

“No,” replied Giles thoughtfully, “but if they 


GILES OF THE STAR 


36 

do miss you they are apt to ask questions that 
would be hard to answer.” 

She nodded, for the truth of his words was very 
plain. “ How am I going to get back? ” she asked. 
“ When the panel closed, I tried to open it, but it 
seemed locked.” 

“ Giles and I will take you to the sliding door,” 
replied Anselm. “ I know where to put my finger 
upon the spring on this side of the door. We must 
go quietly, promising not to talk, for we might be 
heard by some one inside the hall. It will be neces¬ 
sary to be very quiet and listen carefully when we 
reach the door for, if any one is in the hall, you 
must not: pass through. Do you agree? ” 

“ Yes, indeed,” answered both children. Mil- 
licent turned impulsively to Anselm and Giles. 

“You have been very kind to me,” she said 
gratefully. “ May I come again?” 

Anselm shook his head regretfully. “ It would 
be risking too much for a very little. Come to us 
if you ever find yourself in danger. Both Giles 
and I would give our lives to serve you.” 

A rush of cold damp air struck them as they 
entered the narrow passage. Even Giles had to 
stoop to get through the low, narrow opening. 
Anselm drew the panel close behind him for, al¬ 
though he did not expect any one to enter the cell, 
he was always cautious. 

Giles looked about him curiously. It was evi- 


LADY MILLICENT 


37 

dent that this tunnel had once been the under¬ 
ground bed of a brook. Giles made up his mind 
to ask Anselm if this was the case, and if this was 
the old bed of the stream of water that gushed over 
the mouth of the cell. Perhaps the men who had 
cut that underground passage had changed the bed 
of the brook in order that they might use its old 
bed for their tunnel. 

The walls of the passage were of grim, gray 
rock that, in places, oozed water and were clothed 
with clammy green slime. It was no wonder that 
Millicent was glad when they began to mount the 
stairs. Anselm preceded the children, carrying in 
his hand the lighted torch. He held up a warn¬ 
ing hand and then slid back the panel a few inches. 
There was no sound as it moved. The thick tap¬ 
estry that hung over the opening hid the movement 
from any who might be in the room. As they stood 
there listening breathlessly, they heard the sound 
of a man’s voice. It was the voice of Lord Alford. 


f 


CHAPTER III 

PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 

There was not a sound from behind the tap¬ 
estry. Had the three crouching behind the cur¬ 
tain been marble statues they could hardly have 
been more silent. Again came the voice of Lord 
Alford, and they could tell by the sound of it that 
he was excited and anxious. This time they could 
make out the words he said. 

“ The report that Richard had drowned was 
false? You say that he is alive? From whom did 
you get this information?” 

“ Rumor brought it at first,” replied a voice that 
Millicent recognized as one of her uncle’s men-at- 
arms, “ but that rumor has been verified. He was 
shipwrecked, it is true, but instead of being 
drowned he escaped, only to fall into the hands of 
his enemies. The story goes that Blondel, Rich¬ 
ard’s favorite harpist, believing that he was still 
alive, went through the countryside singing the 
songs that Richard loved, and that one afternoon 
when he was singing outside a German castle a 
song that he and Richard had composed, the voice 
of an unseen singer joined his and sang the song to 

its close. He had found his king. As soon as he 

38 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 39 

reached England he went before the nobles with 
his story. Despite the anger of John and his 
probable hindrance, a movement to raise vast sums 
of ransom money is started.” 

Giles looked with glowing eyes toward Anselm, 
and the pressure of his hand on the man’s arm 
strengthened. Anselm’s face looked as if a light 
had been kindled within. Richard, their hero, was 
alive, not drowned. It seemed almost too good to 
believe. 

There was an exclamation of rage inside the 
room and, from the sound, Giles thought that in 
springing up Lord Alford had knocked over a 
chair. There were hurried footsteps up and down 
the room. Then he spoke. 

“ Send Guilbert to me,” he said curtly. 

For several moments there was only the sound 
of steps, quick, hurried steps. That Alford was 
deeply troubled was evident. He had reason to be 
worried. His chances of holding the castle of 
Avalon were slight. Richard knew of his former 
disloyalties. The castle was by right the property 
of the Lady Millicent, and she was a ward of the 
king. On his return she would be given into the 
hands of another guardian, and he would be lucky 
to escape with his life. And yet, if the Lady Mil¬ 
licent were put out of the way he would be the 
one to inherit Avalon, and perhaps by offering 
the king money and fighting men he might gain 


GILES OF THE STAR 


40 

his support. At all events, Millicent must be re¬ 
moved from Avalon. He spoke his thought aloud, 
“ I must rid myself of my niece.” 

Anselm and Giles looked at each other in the 
flickering torchlight. A look of complete under¬ 
standing flashed between them. They had not 
expected to hear Lord Alford confess his dislike 
for his niece. They had not expected to learn his 
plans from his very mouth, but that he did dislike 
her and was making such plans held no surprise 
for either of them. 

Millicent was bewildered. She did not love her 
uncle and knew that he did not love her, but that 
he was plotting against her came as a blow. At 
first she could not make sense out of what was be¬ 
ing said, but when realization of the meaning of 
his words came to her, she was stunned. How 
could a little girl harm her uncle? Why should 
he wish to rid himself of her? 

There were footsteps, the slam of a door, and 
the rattle of a sword. 

“ Guilbert,” came the voice of Alford. “ You 
would do much for gold? ” 

“ Almost anything,” was the reply. 

“You would even kill a man or kidnap a 
child?” went on Lord Alford. 

Now Guilbert had known Alford for a number 
of years, and he, too, had heard the rumor of 
Richard’s captivity and probable release. He had 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 41 

undertaken disagreeable tasks for Alford before, 
and well he knew the state of affairs. 

“ Do you want me to kill the child? ” he asked 
suddenly, 

“No,” answered Alford. “Already the blood 
of her people lies at my door. I killed her father. 
Grief killed her mother, but it was I that caused 
that grief. I would have her unharmed. Let her 
be spirited away. If she is reported dead to Rich¬ 
ard when he returns, I will swear my allegiance 
to him and keep Avalon.” 

“ Would he not give it to you at all events if 
you promised him your services? He knows that 
she could be of no service to him. If you are in 
control here, it is probable that even if Richard 
returns he will not molest you.” 

“As long as Richard lives, John will not dare 
to come out openly and give me absolute control 
in my own right, but if she were out of the way 
it v 3uld be his duty to see that I received Avalon.” 

Out in the passage Millicent shivered. It was 
dreadful to have to stay there and listen to two 
big men discussing her fate and trying to make up 
their minds whether or not she should be killed. 
She was trembling so that Anselm put his strong 
arm about her. 

“ It will be an easy matter,” continued Guilbert, 
easily. “ There are plenty of wandering outlaws 
and Gypsies that might use such a child. Per- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


42 

chance they will sell her to others of their kind in 
a large city where she will be taught to beg for 
them. I could dispose of her easily. Let us plan.” 

“ I have thought it all out,” continued Alford. 
“ To-morrow she will ride with me. On some pre¬ 
text I will desert her at Rhywick Spring. Be there 
alone, for I would not have another soul learn of 
the transaction. We will start shortly after the 
first meal of the day. After I have deserted her, 
I will ride back to the riding party to spread the 
alarm that I was attacked by robbers, who fell 
upon me and stunned me. I will also tell them 
that when I came to myself the Lady Millicent 
was gone. Then there will be a great search.” 

“ Yes,” drawled the other. “ But what if I am 
found with the Lady Millicent? ” 

“You must not be caught,” snapped the other. 
“ I will give you time to get away. Keep to the 
side of the hill toward Avalon. The search will 
be away from that direction.” 

By the scraping of chairs the listeners knew that 
they were rising. 

“And the money I am to receive?” insinuated 
the deep voice of Guilbert. 

“ Bring me back the golden chain that hangs 
about my niece’s neck, and the regular reward will 
be paid to you,” answered Alford. 

“ I would have a part of it now,” came the deep 
voice, this time with a hint of menace. “ I will 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 


43 

deal fairly with you, but I would be equally sure 
that you will deal fairly with me.” 

“ It shall be done,” growled Alford and another 
moment the voices were dying away in the distance 
and again came the clang of the heavy hall door. 

Millicent was crying softly to herself. There 
was a black frown upon Giles’s face, and Anselm’s 
lips were set in a narrow, firm line. He took hold 
of the little girl’s arm and, in a firm but gentle 
way, drew her away from the panel. As soon as 
they were within the cell he spoke. 

“ To know of a danger is to be prepared to meet 
it,” he said. 

“You are going to help me?” asked Millicent 
looking up through her tears. 

“ Yes,” replied both Giles and Anselm together. 

They discussed the matter at length. Millicent 
wanted to remain in the cell with Giles and An¬ 
selm. The thought of going back terrified her. 
“ Do let me remain,” she begged. “ Surely they 
could never find me here.” 

Giles wished that he were a man, that he might 
challenge Lord Alford to fight for the possession. 
It seemed very hard that he should be only twelve 
years of age. The adventure that he had longed 
for so intensely that morning seemed to have ar¬ 
rived most unexpectedly. 

Anselm was deep in thought as well. He turned 
over several plans in his mind. 


44 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ Please let me stay here/’ pleaded Millicent. 

Anselm knew that that would never do. If Mil¬ 
licent were to disappear before the time he had 
planned, Lord Alford would know that his plan 
had been discovered and the whole countryside 
would be put on the search. He would know that 
some friend of the Lady Millicent had her in his 
possession, and would comb the forests and hills to 
regain her. Moreover, it would bring under Al¬ 
ford’s suspicion every friend that Avalon was 
known to have. 

It would be most unfortunate if he or Giles 
should be brought into prominence through the af¬ 
fair. He was deeply perplexed. 

Giles, too, was deep in thought. How wonder¬ 
ful it would be if it were he who devised a scheme 
whereby the Lady Millicent of Avalon should be 
rescued from her enemies. What a glorious way 
to begin his career as a knight! 

“ If we could only get her away and let Alford 
think that everything had gone along as he 
planned, it would take all the suspicion away from 
us and it would keep Lord Alford from hunting 
around to see what had really happened,”*he said. 

“ You have it, Giles,” exclaimed Anselm. “ You 
have given me an idea. I know how we can foil 
him and, at the same time, make him think that all 
has been done according to his wishes.” 

“ How? ” cried both children at once. 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 


45 

“ I cannot tell you the details,” he replied. “ I 
do not know just how things will work out, but 
Giles and I will go to Rhywick Spring to-morrow 
as well as you, Millicent.” 

“ Must I go? ” asked Millicent, her voice trem¬ 
bling slightly from dread. 

“Yes, my child,” he replied. “Go with your 
uncle. Agree to everything that he suggests. Act 
as though you delighted in his companionship. 
Let him lose you easily.” 

“ I will do as you say,” sighed Millicent. “ I 
will go back now, for I must be there before the 
servants begin to prepare the room for the big 
feast. Nurse will not have missed me. You are 
sure that you, too, will be at Rhywick Spring? ” 
she added catching hold of Anselm’s long robe. 

Anselm took the small hand in his big one. 
“You may trust us,” he replied. 

Again they went through the long passage and 
climbed the steep flight of stairs. Even the 
shadows cast by the flickering torch seemed menac¬ 
ing. 

“ This is your chance to prove that you have the 
courage of the Avalons,” whispered Anselm. She 
stiffened proudly at the reminder. They heard no 
voices on the other side of the door so, after wait¬ 
ing a moment, Anselm allowed the girl to return. 

In silence Anselm and Giles went back to the 
cell. The day which had begun so uneventfully 


GILES OF THE STAR 


46 

and so like other days, unmarked by special in¬ 
cident, had suddenly changed to a day of glamor 
and uncertainty. Giles felt that he had reached a 
turning-point in his life. Nothing could be just 
the same as it had been before, and, because he was 
young and a boy, he reveled in the approaching 
danger and looked forward to the morrow with 
keen anticipation instead of dread. 

He would have been glad to sit up all night talk¬ 
ing about what had happened and was likely to 
happen. He was so excited that he could not go 
back to his work. It seemed as if time crept by 
on leaden feet. Anselm was wise. He knew that 
the following day was sure to be a hard one. Even 
before the usual bedtime, Giles was sent to bed. 

“ A knight needs all his strength in the morn¬ 
ing,” Anselm said, in the face of the boy’s protests. 
“ Besides, time spent in sleep travels more swiftly 
than time spent awake.” 

But, although the boy did lie down on the hard 
little pallet that served as his bed, sleep did not 
come readily. Again he saw the Lady Millicent 
kneeling by his coat of arms with sympathy and 
understanding on her face. He saw her cowering 
against Anselm as she overheard the plot against 
her. His hands clenched themselves fiercely, and 
again he promised himself that he would give his 
life, if need be, to save her. 

He wondered how Anselm would get her away 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 47 

from the great burly Guilbert. He had seen the 
man knock down another man-at-arms at the tav¬ 
ern, and knew that he had a fist like a sledge¬ 
hammer. Anselm was strong, as Giles well knew, 
but what would mere strength do against the 
power of an ox like Guilbert? Besides, the man 
would be in armor, and Anselm had none. 

Just at that moment there was the flicker of a 
torch and the grating of the secret panel. Anselm 
was going through the passage. Could he be about 
to go into the castle? It would be dangerous. In 
another moment the boy was at his side. 

“ Oh, please take me,” he begged. “ I cannot 
go to sleep. I have tried and tried.” 

For a moment Anselm looked doubtful. Then 
he nodded assent. Into the passage they stepped, 
Giles’s heart beating so loudly that he began to fear 
that the noise it was making would awaken the in¬ 
mates of the castle. As they were climbing the last 
flight of stairs, half-way from the bottom Anselm 
stopped and carefully ran his hand along the 
wooden paneling. There was a faint creak, and, 
to Giles’s surprise, the very wall before them 
swung inward, revealing a dark hole. Anselm 
stepped into the hole, followed by the trembling 
Giles. Surely no boy had ever had so exciting a 
day before. His nerves were all atingle with ex¬ 
citement. He started violently at the sight of a 
tall figure of rusty armor. 


48 GILES OF THE STAR 

“ It is only one of the empty coats of mail,” 
breathed Anselm in the very ghost of a whisper, 
and Giles laughed silently at himself for being so 
easily startled. 

Anselm did not stop to look around. It was very 
evident to Giles that he not only knew just what 
he wanted, but where to find it as well. Unhesi¬ 
tatingly he threaded his way between the warrior¬ 
like coats of mail and stacked spears and lances to 
the other side of the room. Giles followed, very 
much interested in all that he saw in the faint 
torchlight, looking not only from left to right, but 
before and behind as well. The hermit’s torch 
sent faint, ghostly light that was reflected on the 
shining surfaces of shields and lances. 

To a huge, hand-carved, brass-bound chest the 
hermit led the way. He handed the torch to the 
wondering boy beside him. From about his neck 
he drew a key which fitted into the lock of the 
chest. In another moment the chest was open be¬ 
fore them. From it Anselm took a leather hauberk 
with rows and rows of small steel rings sewed to 
it in such a manner as to make them overlap. Be¬ 
neath lay a knight’s chausses, or stocking-like gar¬ 
ments, also covered with small flat rings of iron. 
Giles knew that these small rings were to protect 
their wearer from lance and sword. 

A jagged rent in the hauberk showed where a 
sword had torn its way through the garment, and 


PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT 


49 

the dark-brown stain that stiffened the leather 
about the rent was, without doubt, blood. It was 
evident that the last wearer of the hauberk had 
been grievously wounded. Two swords were be¬ 
neath the coat of mail. One was beautifully dec¬ 
orated as to hilt, with devices from the Avalon coat 
of arms. The other was plain as to hilt and blade, 
but was of finest workmanship. Anselm’s dark 
eyes sparkled as he raised the latter, and his touch 
on the sword was like a caress. 

Giving the sword into the hands of the boy, who 
still held the torch, Anselm took the hauberk and 
chausses and turned toward the door through 
which they had come. They had nearly reached 
it, when Anselm’s long, trailing robe caught on one 
of the dozen spears stacked up about one of the 
pillars that supported the roof. With a crash and 
a clatter they fell upon the floor. There was the 
sound of voices, and the heavy tread of men’s feet 
on the stone floor. Instantly Anselm extinguished 
his torch, took the startled boy by the arm, and hur¬ 
ried him through the doorway which, fortunately, 
was close at hand. As the first man-at-arms en¬ 
tered the now very dark armory, the hidden door 
swung back into place with the same defiant click. 


CHAPTER IV 


WHAT BEFELL AT RHYWICK SPRING 

It was very dark. Only the faint glow along 
the eastern horizon gave promise of the dawn. 
Anselm lit a torch at the banked fire and stood it 
in the sconce which had been made for it. The 
light shed by the torch fell upon the earnest face 
of the man as he knelt in prayer. He had done his 
best for both boy and girl. The future was in 
God’s hands. He prayed that he might be able 
to save Millicent from the evil plan of her enemy 
and to help Giles too—ah, even in his prayers the 
future of the boy he loved looked dark. 

He did not remain long in prayer. There was 
too much to do. Giles was still asleep. He did 
not see the man as he dressed himself in the leather 
hauberk and chausses of the knight. Over his 
knightly attire was the long brown robe of the 
hermit, and it was not until Anselm was ready to 
leave the cell that he aroused the boy. 

It did not take Giles many moments to get ready 
to go. The big adventure had actually begun. 
Out into the early morning they started. The 
birds were just commencing to sing in the tree- 
tops, and to Giles the whole world looked very 

50 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 


5i 

beautiful in the faint gray dawn. As they de¬ 
scended the hill they looked often at another hill 
across the valley, to the other side of which they 
were going. There was a lovely pink tint in the 
east that gradually deepened into rose-color and 
gold. 

It did not take them very long to reach the road 
at the bottom of the hill, for the path that led from 
the castle was a good one, but it was no part of 
Anselm’s plan to keep to the path for long. Know¬ 
ing a short cut over the opposite hill, he left the 
beaten way and struck off into the woods. As was 
natural, they talked as they went along, but both 
were careful to direct their conversation away 
from their quest. 

“ Matters which are private should never be 
talked of in the forest,” said Anselm sagely. “ It 
has been said, and truly, that the very walls have 
ears, but it could also be said that the forest has 
both ears and tongues.” 

“ Let’s talk about knights,” proposed the boy. 
“Tell me some of the ways in which a boy is 
trained to enter knighthood. Suppose I were the 
son of some high noble of the land. How, then, 
would I learn the things a knight should know? ” 

“ Until you were seven, you would remain at the 
castle with your lady mother. A boy under seven 
is trained only in one respect—quick, unquestion¬ 
ing obedience. At that age you would be sent 


GILES OF THE STAR 


52 

away from home. Perhaps your father would take 
you to some noble knight with whom he was 
friendly, or he might put you into the household 
of the king himself. You would be called a page. 
It would be your duty to wait upon the fine ladies 
of the castle, learn to sing, dance, and play upon 
the harp. You would learn to cherish and respect 
those weaker than yourself. You would accom¬ 
pany the ladies of the castle, when they went to 
ride or hunt with their falcons. 

“ At the end of seven years, you would become a 
squire. It is the duty of pages to spend much of 
their time with the ladies of the castle, learning 
what they have to teach. Some of their time is 
spent with the knights. A page even follows his 
lord into battle, but he, himself, is never in dan¬ 
ger, for no knight would harm a page. The squire 
also goes into battle. He carries extra lances. 
Sometimes he bears the shield of his master. If 
the knight is wounded, it is the duty of the squire 
to carry him from the field of battle. If his horse 
is killed, the squire gives up his own horse to the 
knight.” 

Giles’s eyes shone responsively. “You have 
taught me some of the things a page should know. 
You have taught me how to handle the lance and 
sword. I obey you as I would obey the lord of 
the castle, and I serve Avalon. If I could but ride 
a horse! ” 


AT RHYW1GK SPRING 


53 

Anselm smiled down upon him. “ The time 
may come,” he said simply. “ You are strong and 
fearless. It would not take you long to learn.” 

The way became steeper and more difficult as 
they pressed forward. Their conversation nearly 
ceased, for it took most of their breath for climb¬ 
ing. By going over the top of the hill, they not 
only chose the way less followed by passers-by, 
but they also shortened the trip by two miles and 
over. It was wild, deserted country. Lord Al¬ 
ford had chosen well when he picked out Rhywick 
Spring for the dark deed. It would be a very 
easy matter for him to slip away into the bushes, 
leaving the child to fall into the unscrupulous 
hands of Guilbert. 

There was no path. Over small stones and 
around big boulders they picked their way. The 
wild tangle of the vines and brambles caught at 
their clothing. 

“ This is good training,” panted Giles at the end 
of the last steep rise. At the summit of the hill 
they stopped to rest. Below, the whole world 
seemed to lie asleep. The sun was up, but it had 
not yet burned away the mists which still rested 
upon the valley beneath them. The river was 
shrouded with mist that the sun had not yet burned 
away. They could see the road along which the 
hunting party would later ride. 

" We will wait here until we see the party leav- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


54 

ing the castle,” whispered Anselm, as if even the 
trees and stones were enemies. 

Giles nodded, then threw himself at full length 
on the grass by Anselm’s side. 

“Tell me more about knights,” he begged. 
“ Ever since I have seen them I have longed to be 
one. They always protect those weaker than them¬ 
selves and are courteous to women, aren’t they? ” 

“ Usually a knight chooses a high-born lady and 
vows to do some fine deed in her honor. To show 
her favor she gives him her glove or scarf, which 
tells to the world that he is her chosen knight. To 
her he pledges his allegiance.” 

“Just as I have done,” replied Giles, highly 
gratified. 

“ It is fitting that you pledge your life to Lady 
Millicent and to Avalon, but the time may come 
when you will also pledge allegiance to another 
high-born lady.” 

“ I thought a knight promised to protect every 
woman, even though she be only a poor old fagot- 
gatherer,” replied Giles. Anselm nodded. 

There was a crackling of bushes on the other 
side of the hill and the sound of heavy breathing. 
Then, loud and hoarse, came the sound of a voice 
cursing a certain log over which its owner had 
stumbled. Anselm drew Giles to a crouching posi¬ 
tion, well hidden by a huge boulder. Both of them 
had heard that voice before. It was the voice of 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 


55 

him who had agreed to steal the Lady Millicent 
for gold. 

Anselm fingered the long sword that hung con¬ 
cealed under his hermit’s robe. In his eyes was 
the light of battle. His hand was clenched so 
tightly over the boy’s arm that it pained Giles, 
but he made no sound. 

Evidently Guilbert had come to the hilltop for 
the same reason that had brought Anselm and 
Giles there. A wonderful view of the surrounding 
country was spread out before him. He also had 
wanted to see at what time the party would start 
from the castle. He sat down on a flat rock and 
looked intently in the direction from which Giles 
and Anselm had recently come. 

In the opinion of the boy, Guilbert was a very 
ugly man. The mark of wickedness was impressed 
upon his features. His eyes held a shifty gleam in 
them that the boy instinctively hated. 

“ He wouldn’t be trustworthy,” he thought to 
himself, “ but I do wish he were not so very large 
and strong-looking. He is much larger than An¬ 
selm, and he looks like a fighter.” 

Anselm was tall, but not very broad. Giles won¬ 
dered if the two would come to blows. What 
chance had Anselm against him? The long robe 
of the hermit would be a sad hindrance in case of 
a fight. 

Suddenly Guilbert leaned forward, an intent 


GILES OF THE STAR 


56 

gleam coming into his shifty eyes. Anselm and 
Giles looked in the same direction. Far below, 
between the two hills, wound the road along which 
a number of small specks could be seen moving 
rapidly. Giles did not need the quick pressure of 
Anselm’s hand to know that there were Lord Al¬ 
ford and his friends, leading the Lady Millicent 
into captivity. 

Guilbert smiled as he saw them coming. It was 
a smile so evil that Giles shivered. Then Guilbert 
rose leisurely, and turned toward the path up 
which he had recently climbed. Before he had 
gone a dozen paces, Anselm was on his feet and 
in the open. 

“ Hold! ” rang out the clear voice of command, 
and Giles thrilled with pride and excitement. 
The man wheeled and faced Anselm. For a mo¬ 
ment, he had the look of one who is afraid, but, 
seeing that the man who had challenged him was 
in the dress of a hermit and was a rather slightly 
built hermit at that, he shrugged his shoulders and 
again started down the path. 

“Hold!” again came the call, this time more 
imperative. “ I know where you are going, Guil¬ 
bert. I know why you are going to Rhywick 
Spring, but before you leave this place your sword 
will cross with mine, and it will be the victor who 
goes to Rhywick.” 

With a snarl of rage, Guilbert turned to meet 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 57 

his antagonist striding quickly across the open hill¬ 
top. Just before the man reached him, Anselm 
threw off the long robe, disclosing the mailed suit 
beneath. Guilbert stopped short. Recognition 
and fear sprang into his eyes. 

“You, you!” cried Guilbert. “Are you ghost 
or man? ” 

Anselm smiled. 

“ I saw you dead,” stammered the man hoarsely. 
“ You see me alive,” replied Anselm. “ Draw! ” 
Sword clashed against sword. It was evident to 
Giles, who had come out of hiding, that here was 
as pretty a piece of sword play as he had ever seen 
at the tavern. Anselm parried, stepped aside, and 
returned the attack as well as the best of them. It 
was plain that, although Guilbert was a fine 
swordsman, Anselm was holding his own. 

Anselm well knew how to escape the mighty 
swings of his enemy’s sword. He was as light upon 
his feet as his opponent was heavy. Guilbert was 
breathing hard. He was angry, and afraid of the 
man who seemed to have come back from death 
itself. What was Benedict doing here, disguised 
as a hermit? How had he recovered from that 
fatal blow struck more than a dozen years ago? 
With a mighty swing of the sword he pressed 
closer, only to be met by Anselm’s ever ready 
sword. There was a quick twist of Anselm’s 
wrist, which ended the fight. Guilbert’s sword 


GILES OF THE STAR 


58 

flew from his hand, only to fall harmlessly at 
Giles’s feet. The man gazed sullenly at the sword. 
He had lost and death would probably be the 
penalty, but he was no coward. 

“Would you have me spare your life?” said 
Anselm softly. 

The man stared at him boldly. “ It is in your 
hands,” he replied. 

“ Then let me bind you, for I would keep you 
my prisoner for a while,” replied Anselm. 

Guilbert raised no objections. He had lost. 
He was lucky to be escaping with his life, and he 
knew it. Anselm tore the long, brown robe into 
strips and bound his prisoner securely. Then, be¬ 
ing a merciful man, with Giles’s assistance, he 
moved the man to a shady spot. 

By the time that this had been done, the horses 
and their riders had passed from view. Anselm 
called Giles aside. 

“ I do not want to leave him,” he whispered. 
“ He is a strong fellow and may try to escape. The 
loss of the gold that Alford has offered to pay is 
a hard blow to him. I will stay here. It is you 
who must go to Rhywick Spring and fetch the 
Lady Millicent to this place. The path up which 
this man came will lead you directly to the 
Spring.” 

Giles’s eyes shone. He was perfectly delighted 
with his share of the adventure. Would it not 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 59 

give him a chance to do a knightly deed? He 
could pretend that he was a real knight, riding to 
do brave and noble acts. As he crossed the open 
space at the top of the hill, the glint of the enemy’s 
sword caught his eye. 

He hesitated, picked it up, flourished it with a 
warlike gesture, and then set off to Rhywick 
Spring, the long sword dangling by his side. Guil- 
bert saw, and a black scowl passed over his face, 
followed by a look of crafty hate, but Giles neither 
knew nor cared. 

Because he was happy, Giles sang a gay song of 
gallantry which he had learned at the tavern. It 
was a joyous, lilting air and he caroled it forth 
blithely until it occurred to him that a real knight 
would not advertise his coming in such a fashion. 
After that, he was silent. 

The path was narrow and twisted. From the 
weeds that grew rank and undisturbed in the path 
itself, it was evident that few people were wont 
to pass that way. The side of the hill toward 
Rhywick Spring was much more gradual than 
that facing Avalon. Toward the summit of the 
hill there were no tall trees, only bushes and 
brambles. As Giles descended the hill, he came 
into a region of thicker underbrush and taller 
bushes. Then came the big trees of Rhywick 
Forest. 

Giles knew that he had almost reached his desti- 


6 o 


GILES OF THE STAR 


nation, and that it behooved him to move cau¬ 
tiously. It would be some time before the riders 
would reach the Spring. Anselm had not told him 
what he must do. It was all in his hands. He 
must make his own plans. He tingled with the 
sense of responsibility. It would be well for him 
to explore the forest about the Spring and find 
himself a good hiding-place. 

A short walk brought him to the Spring. Giles 
knelt by the clear, bubbling water and drank 
deeply. Then he began to examine this place to 
which he had come. Buried deep in the heart of 
the forest, it was a favorable place for the doing 
of evil deeds. Lord Alford had chosen well. 

“ Yes,” thought Giles, as he looked about him. 
“ It is a good place for you, Lord Alford, but it 
is a good place for me as well.” 

After a very careful examination, Giles decided 
that, as he did not know from which direction 
Lord Alford would come, it would be well for 
him to take refuge in a tree. An excellent one 
stood beside the Spring. With some difficulty, for 
the sword was an ungainly thing with which to 
climb, Giles ascended the tree and stowed himself 
away, far enough up to be well hidden by green 
leaves. 

It was a long wait. The boy arranged himself 
as comfortably as possible in his leafy retreat, and 
amused himself by scratching his new coat of arms 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 


61 


upon the bark of the tree with the end of the sword. 
It was not a very successful attempt, because the 
sword was long and awkward to handle. 

Above him was the soft blue sky with little wisps 
of white clouds afloat upon it. The sun was shin¬ 
ing gloriously, bathing the top of the tree in molten 
gold. The foliage about him was so thick that it 
shut out the sunlight from below, where it was 
dark and gloomy. It was very quiet. Only the 
sighing of the wind in the tree-tops and the sing¬ 
ing of birds was to be heard. It was pleasant just 
to be alive on such a day. 

At his left towered the hill upon which Anselm 
was waiting. Beyond that hill was the valley that 
separated it from the hill upon which the castle of 
Avalon was built. The story of the building of 
that castle and of the events which followed its 
building were favorite tales, upon which Anselm 
regaled him on winter evenings. The castle was 
built before the conquest of England by the Nor¬ 
man William. The tops of both hills had been 
considered as possible sites for the castle. It was 
decided that its present site was better, being 
higher and more easily fortified. 

When the Norman William had invaded the 
country, bent on making himself conqueror, Ava¬ 
lon had been one of the last castles to yield homage. 
As long as the young lord of the castle had been 
alive the castle had held out against the foe, but at 


62 


GILES OF THE STAR 


his death the power had been broken. His twin 
sister had been unable to hold out against the per¬ 
sistence of the enemy. 

As was his way, William at once gave the lands 
and castle to one of his own men, a young noble 
who had served him gallantly during his stay in 
England. This young man had fallen in love with 
the sad Lady of Avalon. As he had thrown him¬ 
self heart and mind into the fray against a stub¬ 
born England, so did he press his suit with charac¬ 
teristic vigor and gallantry in his siege upon her 
heart. As he had won before, so did he win again, 
and the lovely Lady Evelyn became his bride. 

This made the Lady Millicent the descendant of 
two noble families, in many ways antagonistic to 
each other, but brought by love to peace. Milli¬ 
cent spoke both English and the French of the 
Normans. Although many years had passed since 
the Conquest, still England was torn by prejudice 
and the hatred of the Normans and English. 

It was all very puzzling. Giles then thought of 
the events which had recently come up. It was 
much safer, he thought, to be a simple peasant 
with no one to plot against one, than to be a lord 
of a castle with many enemies. Then he thought 
of the burned villages of the English peasants, 
and the huge amounts of produce collected from 
them every year, and decided, more rightly than 
he realized, that it wasn’t very safe to be alive. 


AT RHYWICK SPRING 63 

Suddenly, there was the sound of little bells. 
At first it was very faint but, moment by moment, 
it grew louder. Then, from the forest, came two 
horses ridden by a man and a child. 


CHAPTER V 


A FEAST AT AVALON 

There had been no one in the great hall when 
Millicent returned from the hermit’s cell. No one 
had seen her push aside the tapestry. She had not 
been missed. Since Lord Alford had sent away all 
the old servants, there were none to care whether 
she were present or absent, happy or sad. She 
would not see her uncle until the five o’clock sup¬ 
per. Even then he might not notice her, for there 
was to be a big banquet and merriment would run 
high. 

The banquet was to be in honor of the fine ladies 
and gentlemen whom Uncle Alford had brought 
to the castle. It probably would be a very fine 
affair, for Uncle Alford had given orders that no 
pains were to be spared to make it successful. The 
chief cook had been racking his brains for days, 
to think up new dainties. Millicent decided to 
remain in the great hall, in order that she might 
watch the preparations. 

Although it was mid-afternoon, the room was 
very dark. People were very sparing of window 
space in those days. The narrower the window, 
the harder it would be for an enemy’s arrow to do 
much damage within, and besides, in castles where 

64 


A FEAST AT AVALON 


65 

the rooms were large and very hard to heat, the 
more necessary it was to shut out the cold. Mil- 
licent carried her embroidery frame to the lightest 
spot she could find, and sat down before it. 

She had started that piece of tapestry when she 
was a little girl. Those first stitches did seem so 
big and wobbly beside her later work. It was fun 
to weave the bright-colored woolen strands into 
patterns. To-day, however, her mind was not 
upon her work. She was wondering what would 
happen the next day. Where would she be at the 
close of it? She was still thinking of this when the 
first servant entered the hall. From then on, there 
was much coming and going. 

The standards that held up the long boards, 
which served as tables, were brought from their 
places, and the boards were laid across them. Sev¬ 
eral tables were set up, for many people were ex¬ 
pected to the banquet. Over these rude tables, 
which were as fine as any in the land, long, white 
linen table covers, which reached to the very 
floor, were spread. Setting the table in the days 
of King Richard was a simple enough matter. 
There were no cups for tea or coffee, for neither 
had ever been brought to England. Instead, peo¬ 
ple drank a mixture of wine sweetened with honey 
and flavored with spices,—clove or cinnamon. 
This was served in big silver goblets which were 
passed from one knight to another. 


66 


GILES OF THE STAR 


There were no forks. The churchmen of the 
day considered those that had been brought into 
the country as sinful luxury, and forbade their use. 
Meat was served in huge pieces. When one 
wanted meat he cut for himself a portion from 
the big piece, took it into his hands, and proceeded 
to eat it. Of course the gravy smeared his hands. 
Sometimes he wiped his hands upon his clothing, 
after licking off the gravy as best he could, but 
usually a page, carrying a towel and a basin of 
water, went about the table between courses in 
order that the knights might wash their hands. 

To us, such a manner of eating would seem very 
disgusting, but Millicent was used to it, and 
would not have known what to do with a fork were 
one given to her. When goblets and knives were 
placed upon the table it was set until the meal 
began. Then huge trenchers with smoking-hot 
meats and other dainties were brought in and 
placed before the assembled company. Knights 
and ladies were served in order of their impor¬ 
tance. 

As it was to be a very splendid feast, Millicent 
went early to her room to prepare for it. She 
needed the help of one of the fine ladies. Dress¬ 
ing was a serious business in the days when gowns 
buttoned up the back with dozens and dozens of 
buttons. Millicent’s gown was blue and gold. It 
had two kinds of sleeves. One pair was very snug, 


A FEAST AT AVALON 


/ 


67 

and fitted closely about her wrists. She had an¬ 
other pair of flowing, winged sleeves. The 
neck of the dress was low. A knotted girdle was 
about her waist. She looked very pretty and very 
frightened as she entered the big hall, for she was 
not used to parties. Until her uncle had come to 
Avalon, she had lived most simply. 

She dreaded meeting him. She knew that she 
would be thinking of the dreadful thing that he 
meant to do with her, and was afraid that, just by 
looking at her, he could tell she knew his plan. 
She dreaded the feast but, most of all, she dreaded 
the coming of the next day. 

It is true that her new friends had promised to 
help her. She wondered what they could do. “ It 
is my castle, too,” she thought resentfully. “ Oh, 
I do wish that my father had lived, or that I had 
a big brother to take care of me. Then he would 
not dare to make such a plan. I come from Ava¬ 
lon, though, and I must be as brave as a boy. I 
must not let him know that I realize what he is 
going to do. I must pretend to love him.” With 
that resolution in her mind, she joined the gay 
company and soon was talking about tournaments 
and jousts with the best of them. 

Several times she met her uncle’s eye and flashed 
across a gay smile to him. Pages brought in 
torches and set them up in their sconces. At last 
all of the guests were assembled, and took their 


68 


GILES OF THE STAR 


places on long benches that were drawn up to the 
table. The torchlight brightened the gay scene, 
for although it was only afternoon and the sun was 
still high in the heavens, it was needed in a room 
where the only outside light sifted through nar¬ 
row slit-like windows. 

It was a gay feast, ordered by one who was a 
lover of luxury. The great haunches of meat 
were very good, and so were appetites. Laughter 
and fun ran high, especially after the spiced wine 
had made its rounds. In bewildering variety, 
meats continued to appear. Venison or deer-meat 
from the Avalon preserves came first. Then came 
a haunch of bear-meat. As a side-dish there were 
great trenchers of fowl from the castle flock. 
These were served in rich gravies. As there were 
no spoons, the gravy was sopped up on pieces of 
bread. 

At the close of each course, pages carried about 
water and towels in order that the guests might 
wash the sticky gravy from their fingers. More 
and more meats were brought in, for it was at a 
time when meat was the chief staple of diet. 

Between the courses jugglers tossed several ob¬ 
jects into the air, catching, tossing, and catching 
again, but never dropping them, although there 
might be half a dozen objects in the air at once. 

It was about the third course when the principal 
dainty was set before Lord Alford. A little ex- 


A FEAST AT AVALON 69 

clamation of admiration rippled through the room, 
as it was brought in from the kitchen. 

“ It looks alive,” whispered Millicent softly to 
the lady beside her. Truly it was a work of art. 
No peacock of all the flock looked more natural. 
Its iridescent feathers glistened in the light of the 
torches. Its tail was spread in a graceful sweep. 
Who would have supposed that it had been care¬ 
fully skinned, cooked, and arranged inside a care¬ 
fully prepared covering by the cook? About this 
covering the glittering feathers were arranged in 
as lifelike a manner as possible. Cooks were artists 
in their lines in those days. 

Finally there came a pause in the eating. Min¬ 
strels brought in their harps and charmed the 
guests with their sweetest love songs and most stir¬ 
ring ballads of bravery. The minstrels were fol¬ 
lowed by story-tellers, who thrilled their listeners 
with tales of knighthood. “ How Giles would love 
to hear these stories! ” thought Millicent. “ I will 
try to remember them so I may tell him later.” 

Then came more eating, this time rabbit and 
pigeon-pie. Millicent was a very tired little girl 
when the feast finally came to a close. She fell 
asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pil¬ 
low, too tired to think of the danger of the morrow, 
but Lord Alford lay awake a long time thinking 
of the fine feasts he would have when he was Lord 
Alford, master of Avalon. 


70 


GILES OF THE STAR 


Early the next morning came the clear call of 
the watchman’s horn, bringing its message that the 
sun was up and all about the castle was well. 
“ Early to bed and early to rise,” seemed to be the 
rule of the Middle Ages, for hardly had the last 
notes died away before the castle was astir. The 
last thing that Millicent had thought of the night 
before had been the danger of the following day, 
and almost as soon as she opened her eyes she re¬ 
membered. 

The ride which had been planned the day be¬ 
fore was the talk of the morning. It was regarded 
in the light of a contest. Two parties were to ride 
from the castle in opposite directions. A certain 
place on the farther side of the hill opposite Ava¬ 
lon was to be the meeting-place. Both companies 
were to start at the same time. The side reaching 
the meeting-place first would be the winner. 

In the enthusiasm of the race it would be easy 
for Alford to get left behind with Millicent. He 
had decided to pretend faintness as they neared the 
road that led into Rhywick Forest. He could 
easily send the others on before, keeping Millicent 
with him. At the Spring he would desert her and 
then, after giving Guilbert plenty of time to make 
away with her, would return to his guests, make 
up some wild tale about being attacked by out¬ 
laws, and start them off on a wild-goose chase to 
rescue the stolen Millicent. It was not such a bad 


A FEAST AT AVALON 


7 i 

plan, and would have worked like a charm if fore¬ 
warned had not been forearmed. 

“ Come, little niece,” he cried genially as the 
whole party rode across the drawbridge out of the 
courtyard. u Let us get better acquainted during 
this ride. I have hardly seen you since I returned 
to Avalon. Will you not be my little lady and 
ride with me to-day? ” 

“ Gladly, my uncle,” replied Millicent, fighting 
to keep the tremble out of her voice. “You are 
more than kind to honor me.” 

The color rose in her cheeks. She was embar¬ 
rassed and felt that the whole company of riders 
was looking at her. Her uncle laughed down upon 
her. 

“ It is a pity to waste that bright blush upon an 
old uncle,” he said gallantly. “ A few years from 
now all the gay knights will be fighting over your 
smiles.” 

More color flew into the little girl’s cheeks. He 
was talking of ten years from that time, while in 
his heart he was planning that her career as a fine 
lady of England should end that very day. He 
was untrustworthy. He said one thing and thought 
another. Although her heart was full of anger, 
scorn, and fear, she found herself to be a gallant 
dissembler. She smiled upon him archly. 

“ Avalon will indeed be a gay place then, my 
uncle,” she laughed. “From all over the land 


GILES OF THE STAR 


72 

brave knights will ride to win my hand, but I shall 
smile sweetly upon them and shall say that I very 
much prefer the society of my kind uncle, who 
gives fine feasts for me and has minstrels and story¬ 
tellers to amuse me.” 

“ She thinks that I did it all for her,” thought 
Alford, much amused at the simple little compli¬ 
ment. “ It will be an easy matter to hoodwink her.” 

“ May heaven forgive me for that black lie,” 
thought Millicent piously. 

Down the steep hill to the valley below they 
rode. The horses went very slowly, picking their 
way carefully at every step. The little bells on 
the bridles rang sweetly. As soon as they reached 
the bottom of the hill they separated, half of the 
company turning to the left, the other half to the 
right. The road was level now. The horses shook 
their heads impatiently, as eager as their riders to 
be off. At a given signal both sides started racing 
toward the distant goal. 

For some moments they rode fast. Then the 
leader pulled in his horse. It would never do to 
tire them all out at the very start of the race. Side 
by side, along the road that led to captivity, Mil¬ 
licent rode with her uncle. He was very devoted, 
according her the courtesy he would have shown 
a grown woman. He told her pretty stories as 
they rode along. Had not Millicent known what 
was in her uncle’s mind she would have enjoyed 


A FEAST AT AVALON 


73 

the ride greatly, for Uncle Alford could be very 
fascinating when he chose. 

“ There is said to be a magic spring hidden 
deeply away in Rhywick Forest,” he told her. 

“ A magic spring,” she echoed. “ How lovely! 
What magic properties is it supposed to possess? ” 

“ It is said,” he began, lowering his voice to a 
whisper, “ that any maiden who bathes in its 
waters will instantly become as beautiful and as 
charming as the fairest lady in the land, and she 
who drinks deeply of its cool refreshing waters 
will receive fortune and true love.” 

“ Oh,” cried out Millicent. “ How I should 
love to bathe my face in its waters and drink deeply 
as well.” 

“ Perhaps it could be managed, little niece,” re¬ 
plied Lord Alford, smiling to himself to think how 
very easily she was falling into his snare. 

“ Do you know where it is? ” she asked eagerly. 

u I will guide you there myself,” he answered 
obligingly. “ It is said that the enchanter Merlin 
himself, in the days of King Arthur, laid the spell 
upon these waters. I will send these other riders 
on before, so our side may have some chance of 
being first to the meeting-place. You and I will 
venture into the enchanted forest alone.” 

“ How kind you are,” said Millicent gratefully. 

Shouting a command to the rest of the party to 
continue on without him, Lord Alford took a little 


GILES OF THE STAR 


74 

side path which led into Rhywick Forest. Mil- 
licent’s heart beat faster as they neared the fatal 
spring. She wondered whether Anselm and Giles 
would really be able to rescue her. 

When they reached the spring Alford drew his 
horse to a halt and dismounted. He raised his 
arms to lift the little girl down. 

“ Drink deeply, little niece,” he exclaimed, as 
she knelt down beside the clear, bubbling spring. 

She did not see what happened next. A sharp 
exclamation from her uncle and the sound of 
horses’ feet made her look up quickly. Her horse 
was running away. 

“ I’ll get him,” shouted her uncle, hastily mount¬ 
ing his own horse. “Wait here for me. I will 
catch him for you.” 

In another moment Millicent was alone by the 
spring—alone in Rhywick Forest. 


CHAPTER VI 


THE FLIGHT 

For a moment the little girl stood looking after 
her uncle. She had expected to be deserted, and 
yet it was a shock. The woods were very still. 
Did Guilbert lurk somewhere beneath its gloomy 
shade? Had Anselm really meant to come to her 
aid? There was no sound except the rustling 
branches. The fright that she had valiantly hid¬ 
den all morning rushed over her and tears crowded 
from her eyes. She listened intently for the sound 
of footsteps, but in vain. 

Giles, safely hidden away from all observation 
from below, watched Lord Alford as he rode 
away. From his point of vantage he saw the man 
catch up to Millicent’s horse, seize his bridle, and 
lead him away. As soon as he felt very sure that 
Lord Alford would not return, he slipped from 
his branch and, by clinging and sliding, descended 
the tree. 

At the first sound from above Millicent looked 
up with a startled little cry of alarm. When she 
saw that it was Giles a smile broke through the 
tears. 

u Oh, I am so glad that it is you,” she cried joy¬ 
fully. “ Where is Anselm? ” 

75 


GILES OF THE STAR 


76 

Giles laughed. “ I left him on the hillside keep¬ 
ing watch over the fine, burly villain that was go¬ 
ing to kidnap you. You ought to have seen them 
fighting. It was a pretty sight. Such mighty 
slashes! And you should have seen the black look 
he cast upon Anselm when, with a quick turn of 
his wrist, Anselm sent his sword flying.” 

Millicent shivered. “ I am glad that I was not 
there to see,” she said, “ though, of course, it was 
very fine of Anselm, and I appreciate it more than 
I can ever say. I did not know that Anselm could 
fight. I thought hermits never fought.” 

“Well, he can,” replied Giles, looking around 
apprehensively. “ Come quickly, for soon the 
whole countryside will be looking for you.” * 

The boy led the way up the crooked little path 
that twisted and turned among the trees. Giles 
went ahead warily. It would be terrible if he 
failed to get Millicent to Anselm in safety. 

“ I thought that all hermits did was to read and 
write and care for the wounded and sick,” con¬ 
tinued Millicent. “ I did not know that they could 
fight.” 

“ I believe that Anselm can do all the things 
that knights can do,” replied the boy, turning to 
look at her. “ He can handle the sword and the 
lance. He has given me lessons in courtesy. He 
has ridden a horse, although I have never seen him 
do it. He has even ridden in a tournament.” 


77 


THE FLIGHT 

The path grew steeper as they ascended. It was 
more rocky, and crowded with weeds and brambles. 
Millicent was well out of breath before they were 
half-way there. The wind blew her hair about her 
face. Her dress was torn in ribbons, as she hurried 
through the wild tangles of berry vines. Dresses, 
even riding-dresses of that time, were very long 
and not in the least suitable for cross-country 
scrambles. On all sides it touched the ground. 
Millicent tripped constantly over its long folds. 

“ I wish I had a drink of that beautifying water 
now,” she panted. u Are we most there? ” 

Giles looked at her regretfully. “ It is a long 
way to the castle but it is not so far up the hill. 
What do you mean about the beautifying water? ” 

Millicent laughed and, between gasps for 
breath, told him about the enchanter Merlin and 
the spell he had laid upon the water of that par¬ 
ticular Spring. “ I think it was just an excuse for 
getting me there without my making a fuss about 
leaving the other riders,” she finished up wisely. 

“ I think so, too,” agreed Giles. “ Anselm says 
that a good many of those old stories of enchanters 
and spells are just fairy tales and many people 
really believe them.” 

After that both children were silent, keeping 
their breath for the climb. Millicent was badly 
scratched. Several times she tripped over her long 
skirts and fell headlong, but she choked back the 


GILES OF THE STAR 


78 

tears and tried to keep up with the more easily- 
moving Giles. He turned to help her over the 
steepest places and so, after more than half an hour 
of upward scramble, they reached the place where 
Anselm was waiting. 

They found Anselm serenely gazing off at the 
castle of Avalon, apparently oblivious of the black 
looks his companion was casting at him. A rustle 
of the bushes made him turn toward the children 
with a smile. Things were working as he had 
hoped they would. There was still danger. It 
would be hard to return to the cell unobserved. 
The whole country would be aroused within a few 
hours. He must plan his return carefully. 

“ You were going to be paid well for this deed, 
were you not? ” he asked, turning to his prisoner. 
Guilbert looked blacker than ever. “ Duke Alford 
would pay you a high ransom for returning his 
niece safely to him,” went on Anselm, purposely 
pretending to misunderstand the motive for the 
abduction. “ Do you know of the torture given 
to one who tries to kidnap a person of high stand¬ 
ing if he fails? Do you know of the hot iron, the 
pinchers, and the boiling oil?” 

Guilbert looked at him with a sneer. 

“ I know more than you think I do, Benedict,” 
he replied. “ I know that you and Lord Alford 
are enemies. I know that you will do nothing to 
help him. Let me take the child. I will make 


THE FLIGHT 


79 

him pay dearly for her return and you, you will 
share in the reward.” 

“ And what if there is no reward? ” said Anselm. 
His voice was soft but there was a deadly note in 
it. “ What if it is Lord Alford’s plan to rid him¬ 
self of the little lady and he hired you to do it for 
him? ” 

The color left the man’s face for suddenly he 
remembered something that he had forgotten. It 
suddenly swept over him who Benedict was. Sev¬ 
eral stories that he had heard and forgotten a 
dozen years before came crowding back into his 
mind. 

“ I know the whole plan,” said Anselm softly. 
The conversation had been carried on so quietly 
that neither child had heard a single word. 11 1 
know what Lord Alford said to you. I know it 
all. You were to get money for selling the Lady 
Millicent to outlaws. Am I right? ” 

Guilbert nodded sullenly. 

“ However, I want to hear it from your own 
lips. It will be for your own good to tell me the 
whole story,” continued Anselm. 

“ I will tell you upon one condition.” 

“ And that? ” 

“ That you will allow me to leave here un¬ 
harmed.” 

“ Agreed.” 

“ I was to sell her to outlaws and, as a sign that 


80 GILES OF THE STAR 

I had fulfilled my part of the bargain, I was to 
bring back to the castle her golden necklace. 
Upon receiving it from my hands Lord Alford was 
to pay me for my services.” 

During this last conversation Giles had drawn 
nearer. 

u Where were you going to hide after you had 
captured her? ” asked Giles. 

“ I shall not tell you,” replied Guilbert sourly. 

Anselm walked over to where Millicent was 
standing. 

“ I must ask you to give up your necklace,” he 
told her. “ It will be a sacrifice to save yourself.” 

Without waiting to question him, the little girl 
lifted the chain from her neck and laid it in his 
outstretched hand. Anselm hung it on a thorn- 
bush in front of Guilbert. That individual looked 
on in amazement. 

“ It is a fancy of mine that Alford should think 
that his plan worked as he hoped it would,” said 
Anselm. “ I am going to take the Lady Millicent 
with me, but I will leave her chain here on this 
thorn-bush. You are not tied securely. In an 
hour or so you will have worked yourself loose. 
Then you will be free to leave this place un¬ 
harmed. You still may get the money that Alford 
offered you. Take the chain to him. Tell him 
that you have rid yourself and him of the Lady 
Millicent.” 


THE FLIGHT 


81 


“ Do you mean,” broke in Guilbert, “ that you 
want me to get this money? I cannot believe it.” 

“ Believe it or not, as you please,” replied An¬ 
selm. “ I am going now, but I will leave the 
chain. You may use it or not, as you choose, 
but you need fear nothing from me. I will not 
return Lady Millicent to her uncle. You can 
trust me not to call his attention to myself. He 
hates me, as you know well. Come, children.” 

He paused only long enough to tie a strip from 
his torn robe over Guilbert’s eyes so he might not 
see in which direction they went. 

“ I do not trust him,” he explained to Giles. 
“ He hates me for wresting his sword away. There 
is nothing that he would like better than to first 
obtain the gold that was promised him and then 
to betray me into the hands of Alford.” 

He led the way down the steepest side of the 
hill, the side toward Avalon. 

“ The closer we get to the castle, the safer we 
will be, for they would never expect kidnappers 
to bring her back close to her old home,” panted 
Giles. 

The way was steep and rocky. In places they 
had to cling closely to bushes and saplings to save 
themselves from tumbling. Millicent’s skirt hung 
about her in ribbons. Her hair held a collec¬ 
tion of leaves, twigs, and snarls. A long scratch 
defaced one cheek. 


82 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ My best friend or my worst enemy would 
hardly know me now,” she thought. “ I must look 
like a poor little ragged, beggar child.” 

At last they came to a steep ledge about eight 
feet from top to bottom. Anselm swung himself 
over without hesitation, landing safely at the bot¬ 
tom. They had gone over the worst part of the 
way. From there on it slanted more gradually. 
Anselm reached up his arms and lifted Millicent 
down. Giles, scorning assistance, swung himself 
over as he had seen Anselm do. 

The ledge shelved out, thus making a sort of 
shelter. Through the trees and bushes they could 
see the opposite hill, crowned by the towered castle 
of Avalon. The road leading up to the castle was 
also in plain sight. 

“ Here we rest till the night falls,” said An¬ 
selm, laying down his sword. Giles looked at it a 
bit regretfully. He had laid Guilbert’s by his side 
when he found out that he was going to carry out 
Anselm’s wishes. Millicent drew a long breath 
of relief. She was very glad that they were going 
to rest. Between the excitement of the feast the 
night before, the ride of the morning, and the wild 
scramble over the rocky hillside, she was just about 
exhausted. In a very few minutes she was fast 
asleep, her dirty, little face pillowed on a badly 
scratched arm. 

Giles was not tired. He was used to long climbs, 


THE FLIGHT 


83 

and the adventure of the morning was quite to his 
liking. He sat hugging his knees with his chin 
resting upon them, looking off toward the castle. 

“ What are we going to do with her? ” asked 
Anselm, nodding at the sleeping Millicent. 

“ Do with her? Do with her? ” repeated the 
amazed boy. It seemed a strange question to ask 
of a boy. If Anselm, wise as he was, did not feel 
able to plan wisely, how could he expect it of 
Giles? 

“ We couldn’t keep her with us, could we? ” 
questioned the boy after a few moments of thought. 
“ We could hide her from Alford, but there isn’t 
much we could do toward getting her castle away 
from her uncle. He has driven out every one of 
the old servants and filled the place with men that 
are loyal to himself.” 

“ She has no chance of getting her castle back 
for some time, for Alford is a friend of John and, 
given half a chance, John will put him over Ava¬ 
lon. If Lady Millicent were again to fall into 
Alford’s hands, in all probability he would have 
her killed. In any case John would rule that she 
was only a child, and a girl child at that, totally 
unfitted to train warriors for his service, too weak 
to rule over the men-at-arms of Avalon, and, there¬ 
fore, the rule should go’to a man who could.” 

“ Oh, if Avalon belonged to a real, strong man, 
the kind of a man who would love and protect the 


GILES OF THE STAR 


84 

Lady Millicent!” cried the boy enthusiastically. 
There was a curious smile on the man’s lips which 
the boy did not see. 

“You have not told me what I shall do with 
her,” reminded Anselm. “ I want your advice on 
the matter.” It made Giles feel very grown-up to 
be consulted. He lay back on the grass, his heels 
in the air, thinking deeply. 

“ I am glad I am not a girl,” he remarked. “ A 
boy must learn how to ride and fight and do all 
sorts of interesting things, but all a girl is allowed 
to do is to stay in the castle when there is any real 
fighting, and learn how to sew and make tapestry. 
Tapestry,—the very word makes my head ache.” 

“ They learn how to ride and hunt with the fal¬ 
con in times of peace,” replied Anselm. “ They 
must learn how to bind up the wounds of those 
who are hurt in battle. The world would be a 
sorry place were it not for its women. We could 
not get along without them.” 

“ I know that,” agreed the boy. “ What I meant 
is that I’d much rather be a boy. I suppose Mil¬ 
licent ought to learn all of those things, too. Boys 
are sent away to be pages in some other castle. 
How do girls learn all the things they are supposed 
to know? ” 

“ Usually they are taught at home by their 
mothers. Sometimes they are sent away to the 
castles of friends of their parents. The lady of the 


THE FLIGHT 85 

castle teaches them to embroider, sew, dance, play 
games, and care for the wounded.” 

A sudden light came into Giles’s eyes. He sat 
up as quickly as if he had been jerked up. 

“ Are there not many knights who are friendly 
to Richard and refuse to accept John for their 
king? ” he exclaimed. “ It would be a good plan 
to take Lady Millicent to one of them secretly, 
and ask that she be taken in and taught by the fine 
ladies of the castle. She could remain there until 
she grew up. Then, when Richard came riding 
home from war, you could go before him and tell 
him the tale. He would take the castle away from 
Lord Alford and give it back to its rightful owner, 
the Lady Millicent. Perhaps he would make you 
her guardian.” 

“ It is a good plan,” replied Anselm. “ It shall 
be done.” 

Late in the afternoon Millicent awoke. All 
three ate heartily of the black bread and cheese 
that Anselm had brought with him, and drank 
from his jar of water. 

“ I never ate this kind of bread before,” com¬ 
mented Millicent, crunching it between strong 
white teeth, “ but I think that I never tasted any 
that was nicer. Please give me some more.” 

“ It is excitement that gives appetites,” said 
Giles sagely. “ There are no such appetites as 
knights have.” 


86 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“You should have seen them eat,” laughed 
Millicent. “ There was a big feast at the castle 
last night. All the fine friends of my uncle were 
there. On the tables were great trenchers of fine 
meats, cooked to a turn and swimming in rich 
gravies. I wish you could have smelled all the 
goodies. The trenchers were filled to the very 
brim. Then you should have seen the attack that 
was made. The men went for the meat with both 
hands and, long before the pages carried around 
water and linen towels, they were smeared with 
gravy up to their eyes.” 

“ I should like to go to a feast like that,” said 
Giles wistfully. “Just to hear you tell about it 
makes me hungry.” 

Several times they saw horsemen ride to the 
castle, and away. Their feverish speed told An¬ 
selm that word had been brought to the castle that 
Millicent had been stolen by outlaws. 

“The whole of Avalon and all the surrounding 
towns are out to look for you probably,” said An¬ 
selm. “We will have to return very cautiously. 
It will be quite a risky journey from here to the 
cell for it will be necessary to cross the road twice.” 

“ There will not be many out after nightfall,” 
commented Giles. “ Many believe that the glen is 
haunted by spirits of the dead and are afraid to go 
that way. If we return by the glen, we shall be 
safe.” 


THE FLIGHT 87 

“ What about the spirits of the dead?” asked 
Millicent doubtfully. 

“ Anselm says there are none,” replied Giles. 
“ I have been in the glen at night. I didn’t see 
or hear anything which made me afraid.” 

“ How surprised my uncle would be if he knew 
that I was hiding almost under his wicked nose,” 
laughed Millicent. “ Do you know,” she went on 
more seriously, “ this is the very first adventure I 
have ever had.” 

“ May all your adventures end as safely,” said 
Giles gallantly. “ It was a lucky thing that you 
decided to explore the hidden passage.” 

At last the long afternoon passed away. The 
sun set, a fiery ball of red in the western sky. For 
some time its rose-colored glory lingered. The 
castle stood in dark relief against the light beyond. 
Then dusky shadows gathered about the base of the 
hills. The light faded slowly from the sky. As 
twilight deepened into night, the three fugitives 
began the descent. The way grew easier under 
foot, but more dangerous as they neared the road. 

As they crouched behind some bushes by the 
roadside Giles’s quick ears caught the slight jingle 
of bells. Motionless the three sat, like statues, 
listening as the rider drew nearer. It was a knight 
who rode up out of the shadows. The moonlight 
glimmered on his coat of mail. He had been 
searching for the Lady Millicent the whole after- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


88 

noon but he rode past, little dreaming that she lay 
concealed by tall grass and bushes within earshot 
of his jangling armor. 

As soon as he was out of sight, like startled rab¬ 
bits, they scurried across the road into the friendly 
shadow of the wood beyond. They were in the 
haunted glen. Millicent, indeed, held her breath 
for she had heard wild, senseless tales of headless 
witches and lean, lank goblins who haunted those 
dark covers, and at every whisper of the night her 
heart beat faster. Were it not for the fact that 
both Anselm and Giles held her hands in a close, 
reassuring clasp, she would have shrieked out in 
terror. 

“Isn’t this fun?” whispered Giles in her ear. 
He had often roamed the woods, both by day and 
by night. It had been part of Anselm’s training 
in helping him to master fear. 

“ F-f-f-fun,” quavered the Lady Millicent. “ I 
guess so,” she added doubtfully. 

“We’ll have to go out into the road,” said An¬ 
selm after some time had elapsed. “ I’ll go ahead 
and you follow with the little lady. If you hear 
my voice, slip into the underbrush and keep very 
quiet.” 

There was no breath of wind stirring. Every¬ 
thing was very silent. Only the moon lighted the 
hillside. It cast fantastic shadows. Giles was 
trembling with excitement as they drew near the 


» 


THE FLIGHT 


89 

great rock which hid the way to Anselm’s cell. It 
was upon that rock that Giles had climbed the day 
before to see the gay cavalcade pass. It was here 
that he had wished for excitement and the chance 
to do valiant deeds. Perhaps it was a wishing rock 
after all. He determined to make another wish 
when he reached its summit. 

It was a difficult matter to get Millicent over 
the rock. It was too dark for her to see the notches 
which were cut in the rock. Her long dress 
made climbing hard. Finally they solved the 
problem. Giles lay flat on his stomach, his toes 
digging into the rock as hard as he could. He 
stretched his hands as far as possible toward Mil¬ 
licent. Anselm lifted her toward the boy. Their 
hands just met. Giles leaned a little closer. His 
strong hands closed upon her wrists. There was 
a push from below and a pull from above and she 
was at his side. 

Anselm joined them immediately. The descent 
was much easier, and soon they were at the water¬ 
fall that hid the mouth of the cell. Suddenly, 
from the darkness ran a woman wrapped in a long 
coat. She fell upon her knees at Anselm’s feet. 


CHAPTER VII 


NANNY 

“ They have done away with my little lady,” 
she cried out. “ I feared that there was some such 
scheme when I was dismissed from the castle and 
to-day I know. I know Lord Alford! I knew him 
as a mean, cruel young man years ago. I knew 
that my young lady, the Lady Millicent’s mother, 
feared him. All the village thinks that fierce rob¬ 
bers fell upon them as they rode through the forest. 
Lord Alford returned to the other riders, blood¬ 
stained and dusty. He said that he had been beaten 
with cudgels until he was unconscious, and that 
when he came to his senses Millicent was gone.” 

“ What a lie! ” commented Giles as he came up 
with Millicent. 

“Oh, Nanny! Nanny!” cried Millicent, throw¬ 
ing herself upon her old nurse and holding her as 
if she never meant to let her go. “ How badly I 
have missed you! ” 

With a gasp of relief the nurse’s arms closed 
about her, and both cried a little from the excite¬ 
ment of the day and the joy at finding one another. 
Then Millicent had to tell Nanny all that had 

happened since she had left the castle. She told 

90 


NANNY 


9i 

how she had found Giles and Anselm, and how 
kind they had been to her. 

“ Where have you been, Nanny? ” she asked. 

“ At the tavern,” replied the nurse with a mean¬ 
ing glance at Anselm. “ My sister is wife to the 
landlord and she does not begrudge me a place to 
sleep and food to eat. It is a good place. I can 
see and hear many things which it may be well 
you knew.” 

“ Lord Alford, I will never call him my uncle 
again, hates me,” said Millicent reflectively. u He 
wished to rid himself of me.” 

“ The black villain,” cried Nanny hugging Mil¬ 
licent closely. “ I’d like to see him in the hands 
of black-hearted, murdering outlaws, that I would. 
It would give him a taste of his own medicine. 
Heaven’s blessing rest upon you, Anselm. Well 
have you kept the promise that you made twelve 
years ago to my Lady of Avalon.” 

She then seemed to remember Giles and, put¬ 
ting a thin hand upon his arm, turned him about, 
that the light of the moon might fall upon his face. 
In her long, flowing, black cloak she looked very 
witch-like. Her face was in the shadow, but Giles 
felt that she could see into his very soul, her look 
was so intent. He seemed to sense a tenderness 
for even him, a stranger. For some moments she 
stood regarding him. Then she turned to Anselm. 

“ You have done well with the boy, my friend. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


92 

He is as straight as a lance, and he looks strong 
and hearty.” 

“ He is straight in soul and mind as well,” re¬ 
plied Anselm. 

“ Little did I think when I held him in my 
arms, a tiny baby, that some day I should see him 
under such conditions, in this place, living this sort 
of life.” 

Giles pressed forward. He had often longed to 
know more about his home before he came to An¬ 
selm. Perhaps Nanny could tell him something. 
He was a baby when he had been brought to An¬ 
selm. His earliest recollections had been of play¬ 
ing in the grass before the cell. Perhaps she had 
known him before he had come to Anselm. Per¬ 
haps she could tell him about his mother and 
father whom he could not remember. 

“ Did you know me when I was a baby? ” he 
asked eagerly. 

“ That I did,” she replied heartily. “Was it 
not I who brought you to Anselm in a market- 
basket, all covered over with a fine linen towel? ” 

“ Perhaps you can tell me who my parents 
were,” he said. “ Where did you get me? ” 

“ Oh, off a gooseberry-bush, or perchance it was 
a currant one,” she replied lightly. Then she 
added more seriously, “ Bide your time, lad. 
Some day you will know a great deal more than 
you do to-day.” With that very evident statement 


NANNY. 93 

she turned the conversation to the need of making 
plans for Millicent’s future. 

“ I have decided to send her to her Uncle Si- 
bert,” replied Anselm rather slowly. “ It is not 
safe for her here until Richard is ransomed and 
again rules over England. It is best that she go to 
her uncle.” 

“ Uncle!” exclaimed Millicent in wonder. 
“ Why, I did not know I had another uncle! ” 

“ You intend to take her there?” asked Nanny in 
a wondering tone of voice. “You will take her 
there, in spite of the hard feeling that exists be¬ 
tween the two families?” 

“ Sibert is a just man. It is true he was angry 
when his sister married the Lord of Avalon, but 
he will not deny her daughter protection from 
danger. The Lady Constance, his wife, loved 
your mother dearly,” he said, turning to Millicent. 
“ She will love you in memory of her.” 

“ I don’t believe I like uncles much,” she con¬ 
fessed, slipping her hand into Anselm’s. u I would 
much rather stay here in the forest with you and 
Giles. You could keep me to care for the cell and 
be your chatelaine.” 

“ What does that word mean? ” asked Giles. 

“ The chatelaine is mistress of a castle,” replied 
Anselm, “ but, my child, a hermit’s cell needs no 
chatelaine. You must be taken to the castle of some 
high-born lady who will teach you all that a fine 


GILES OF THE STAR 


94 

lady of the land must know. Lady Constance will 
be good to you. Having loved your mother, she 
will surely welcome you. She will teach you how 
to make fine tapestry, to dance, play games, and to 
ride. She will teach you to tend to the wounded. 
Then, when Richard comes back to his kingdom, 
you will be ready to take your place as mistress of 
a castle.” 

Millicent looked doubtful. The thought of go¬ 
ing out among strangers, who neither knew nor 
cared for her, made her shiver with dread. Her 
quiet life at the castle of Avalon, under the care 
of sober Roderick, had made her timid, and she 
dreaded the thought of going into the bustle and 
excitement that hung about most castles of the 
time. Then, too, her recent experience with her 
uncle was not one that would make her care for 
the society of another. 

“ She must hide here until the hue and cry over 
her disappearance dies down,” went on Nanny 
thoughtfully. “ Then, by disguise and traveling 
in secret, the change may be made.” 

“ We must first find out Alford’s plans, in order 
to act intelligently,” said Anselm. 

Millicent shivered again. She wondered how 
Anselm would manage the matter, for usually 
those who traveled went upon horseback or in a 
coach escorted by a strong, armed guard. It was 
not safe to ride unattended, for in the forests and 


NANNY 


95 

along lonely roads bad men gathered, men who 
lived by stealing from passers-by. Some of these 
ruffians took only the purses of their victims, while 
others robbed them of their very clothes. 

Travel was a matter of strict necessity rather 
than pleasure. Young knights, who were eager to 
show that they were men of valor, often rode out 
for adventure and rarely did they fail to find it 
waiting for them. They rode forth in their bright, 
new armor, anxious to do some brave deed in honor 
of some fair lady, but women and girls seldom 
went upon a journey. 

Considering all this, it was not strange that Lady 
Millicent dreaded a long journey, especially one 
to be made in secret without the armed guard for 
protection. The whole country would be stirred 
up over the loss of their little Lady of Avalon. A 
huge reward had been offered for her recovery. It 
would be no easy matter to elude their vigilance. 

u I don’t want to go,” she said slowly. 

“ I only wish that I had your chance,” com¬ 
mented Giles. 

“ I must leave presently,” said Nanny, “ but be¬ 
fore I go I would see my little lady in bed.” 

Anselm led her to the cell. 

“ It is here that she will sleep,” he said. “ Giles 
and I will take our blankets out under the stars as 
we have often done before.” 

In spite of the fact that after her long, exciting 


GILES OF THE STAR 


96 

day Millicent was very tired, she did not want 
her old nurse to leave her. Night with only a 
curtain of falling water between one and the great, 
outside world was a terrifying experience. 

“ Sing to me, Nanny!” she pleaded, clinging 
closely to her nurse’s long cape and drawing her 
down beside her. Very softly, the very whisper of 
a song, came the old, old lullaby which so often 
in happier days had soothed her to sleep. It was 
not a long song, but before she had sung it through 
twice Millicent was asleep. 

Giles was tired, but he knew that it would be 
discourteous for him to let Nanny go off unat¬ 
tended. 

“ I will walk part of the way with you,” he said, 
as she came from the cell. 

“ No, Giles,” replied Anselm. “ I intend to go 
with her myself, for there is much that I wish to 
tell her. Keep guard until I return.” 

Lying under the stars, Giles looked up into 
the deep, blue blackness of the night, thinking over 
the events of the day. Two days before, adventure 
had seemed a long way off. Now he was in the 
midst of it. Life had seemed very dull and prosaic 
before. Now it was crowded with danger, mys¬ 
tery, and excitement. 

He thought of what the nurse had said of him. 
She had brought him to Anselm in a market- 
basket. It seemed strange that he should be car- 


NANNY. 97 

ried in a market-basket. Why had she not carried 
him in her arms as babies were usually carried? 
He had been covered with a linen towel. Had it 
been to conceal him? Why should he have been 
concealed in a market-basket, with a linen towel 
to hide him from view? From where had she 
brought him? Why had she brought him to An¬ 
selm? Who were his parents? They must be 
dead. It was most perplexing. 

Think as hard as he could he was unable to 
make head or tail of the matter. It grew later, and 
he was very tired. A soldier left on guard would 
not fall asleep. A knight keeping a lonely vigil 
would stay wide awake. Anselm must have much 
to say to old Nanny. They were probably making 
plans for the future. What part would he have in 
those plans? How differently from usual Anselm 
had behaved the last few days! How the steel 
blades had clashed that morning! Giles wished 
that he could make a sword obey his will as An¬ 
selm had made his. Again a wave of sleepiness 
swept over him. 

" I must not go to sleep,” he thought drowsily. 

Meanwhile, in the shadow of the great rock that 
separated the two paths, Anselm and Nanny were 
holding earnest conversation. 

lc She will have to travel as a peasant child,” said 
Anselm. “ Can you get her the proper clothing? 
Her whole appearance must be altered.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


98 

“ My niece’s oldest child is a little larger than 
the Lady Millicent,” replied Nanny. “ Only last 
week she put away some of her outgrown clothing 
for little Lisbeth.” 

“ It is necessary that not even your niece should 
know that you are looking for clothing for a little 
girl,” warned Anselm. “ Lord Alford may sus¬ 
pect you of having something to do with the child’s 
disappearance. You will have to be very careful 
in all you do and say.” 

“ I can take the clothing secretly, and later make 
it right with my niece,” replied Nanny. “ I will 
bring it to you here.” 

“ It will not be safe for you to come here,” an¬ 
swered Anselm. “We must run no risks. There 
is a hollow tree near the road, opposite this rock. 
Conceal the garments there, and Giles or I will 
fetch them.” 

“ You are right,” replied Nanny. “ We must do 
nothing that will bring suspicion upon us. The 
whole neighborhood would think that we had 
captured her to hold for ransom. A false move on 
our parts would cost us our lives. Lord Alford 
will make a big stir to get her back into his pos¬ 
session.” 

Anselm paced restlessly up and down. 

“ How are the villagers? ” he asked, after a mo¬ 
ment’s thought. “ Is Lord Alford well liked 
among them? ” 


NANNY 


99 

“ He has given them extra measures of barley 
and is much more lenient than Roderick was. They 
really think that he was devoted to his little niece. 
They will rejoice when he is put into power.” 

Had there been a stronger light Anselm’s face 
would have shown to her his anger. 

“ Fools! ” he exclaimed. “ They are fools blinded 
to their own best interests. Once he is put in con¬ 
trol he will show his true nature. He will force 
them to spend more of their time upon the grounds 
and gardens of the castle, and less upon their own. 
He will require large taxes of their produce to be 
paid yearly, and will punish them with the lash if 
they fail to carry out his unreasonable commands. 
They are blind.” 

For some time they talked over the plans for the 
future. Then Nanny brought the conversation 
around to Giles. 

“ What are you going to do with the lad? ” she 
asked. “ Surely it would be good for him to get 
out in the world, and mingle with men and boys 
whom it would be well for him to know.” 

u He will go with Millicent and myself to Lady 
Constance,” he replied. 

“It is a sorry tangle,” said Nanny as she 
started off down the hill. 

After a while Anselm returned to the half-asleep 
Giles, who lifted his head warily at the sound of 
his step. 


100 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ It is all right, lad,” he said. “ Go to sleep! ” 
Giles needed no second invitation. Within five 
minutes he was wandering in a mist of dreams of 
knights, ladies, and fire-breathing dragons, but the 
man beside him lay a long time awake, thinking 
deeply. 


CHAPTER VIII 


A GOLDEN CHAIN 

AFTER so much excitement it would not have 
. been surprising if they all overslept the next morn¬ 
ing, Millicent, unaroused by the customary horn, 
did sleep late, but Giles and Anselm were used to 
awaking early, without the aid of a horn, and were 
about at the usual time. 

During their simple meal it was decided that 
Anselm should go to the village to learn what he 
could of Lord Alford’s future plans, and to hear 
as much as possible about the search that the vil¬ 
lagers were planning. 

“ I may offer my services in helping the good 
work along,” he told Giles. 

The boy’s eyes twinkled at that idea. 

u If I were you,” he replied, “ I should search 
most diligently. I should search on the opposite 
side of Rhywick Hill. Let me join the search. I 
know a lovely thicket of thorn-apple and some 
splendid thick and snarled-up blackberry-vines 
warranted to tear fine clothing to shreds. It would 
be a great pleasure to lead Lord Alford in a search 
through them.” 

Anselm’s lips smiled, but his eyes were grave. 

IOI 


102 


GILES OF THE STAR 


The situation was a perplexing one. They had by 
no means reached a solution of the problem. 

“ It will be a long, hard day for me,” he re¬ 
plied. “ I shall be away until evening. I do not 
expect that any one will stumble on this place, but 
we must be careful, very careful.” 

“ Some one ought to be constantly on guard,” 
said Giles. “ That will be my task. I will keep 
a close watch on both the road leading from the 
castle and upon the valley road. If they do come 
to this place, I will hide her.” 

“ Where? ” asked Anselm. 

“ In the passage that leads to the castle,” replied 
the boy quickly, and Anselm went away well satis¬ 
fied with his plan. 

Time dragged slowly after the man’s departure. 
Giles wished that Millicent would hurry and wake 
up. He wandered about the ledge, keeping care¬ 
fully concealed from any real or imaginary foe. 
He pretended a certain old stump was the enemy 
and practised creeping up upon it as quietly as he 
could to escape detection. It was rather fun to 
play that he was advancing upon the foe, but it 
would have been much more fun if Millicent were 
there to play with him. 

Already he was thinking of her as a simple 
friend with whom he could talk and play, rather 
than the high-born Lady of Avalon. At last, when 
it seemed as if he just couldn’t wait another mo- 


A GOLDEN CHAIN 


103 

ment and simply must wake her up, she came out 
of the cell. She had bathed her face and hands 
with the water that flowed like a curtain over the 
mouth of the cell, and had emerged sweet and 
clean from her coating of dust. Except for the 
scratches on face and arms and the wild tangle of 
hair, she looked much as she did the first time that 
Giles had seen her. 

Giles set out a simple breakfast of dark-colored 
bread, cheese, and milk, and, because he had a 
healthy boy’s appetite and desired to be sociable, 
he ate with her. As soon as the remnants of the 
repast were put away, Giles led the way to a 
secluded nook from which fc they could watch the 
road with no chance of being observed. There 
they could talk softly, with no fear of being over¬ 
heard. 

They both found plenty to tell each other. Mil- 
licent told Giles about the life at the castle, about 
Blanche, her dear horse, and about Caesar, the fal¬ 
con. 

“ He is so beautiful,” she exclaimed. “ His 
feathers are so soft and brown! I hope they will 
be good to him. He is like an arrow sped from a 
bow.” 

Giles had seen something of falconry from a dis¬ 
tance, but he was keenly interested in finding out 
just how the thing was properly done. Falcons 
were birds of prey which were trained to ride upon 


GILES OF THE STAR 


104 

the outstretched wrist of master or mistress. On 
their heads they wore little embroidered hoods to 
blindfold them. As soon as the owner saw a bird 
which he desired to capture he unhooded his fal¬ 
con, tossed it into the air, and watched as it 
mounted higher and higher. As soon as the bird 
of prey caught sight of its victim, it poised for a 
moment, took a careful aim, and then as straight 
as an arrow made for it. 

She also told him of the huge hall in the castle, 
where her uncle and the knights who were his 
friends gathered for feasting and merriment. She 
told him some of the exciting stories which she had 
heard the knights tell. They were tales of gal¬ 
lantry and brave deeds. It seemed as if he would 
never tire of listening. 

Time goes fast when one is interested and is hav¬ 
ing a good time. Several hours passed without 
anything exciting happening. It is true that sev¬ 
eral groups of knights rode away from the castle 
and others rode to it, but they did not seem to be 
searching the hillside. Both children, like shy 
little woodland creatures, kept careful vigil. At 
last Giles rose to his feet hastily. 

“Look!” he whispered, pointing to the road 
winding about the base of the hill. 

A single horseman was coming toward the castle. 
It was quite a way from ledge to valley road but 
Millicent was almost positive she knew who was 


A GOLDEN CHAIN 


105 

drawing nearer each moment. She had seen that 
burly form before. 

“ I am going to a place I know, which is nearer 
to the road,” said Giles softly. “ You stay here. I 
want to make sure who it is.” 

Millicent nodded, shrinking closer to the ground 
lest she be seen. 

Giles sped to Overlook Rock. A warped and 
twisted oak-tree grew near by. The boy swung 
himself up into its branches. He climbed until he 
was well-hidden by foliage. Soon he heard the 
jingle of little bells which grew louder and louder. 
At last the rider drew near enough so Giles could 
see him plainly. As he had thought, it was Guil- 
bert riding up to the castle to bring Lord Alford 
the golden chain of the Lady Millicent. 


CHAPTER IX 


PLANS AWRY 

Until he had passed above the curve in the 
road, Giles lay motionless. It was true that Guil- 
bert had the necklace in his possession and that he 
would try to get the promised reward. It was also 
true that he hated Anselm for humiliating him, 
and would relish a chance to get him into trouble 
if he could do so safely. His eyes had followed 
Anselm venomously when he had been bound to 
a tree. It would be very unlikely that he would 
in any way reveal the fact that he had not done as 
had been planned with the Lady Millicent, but 
what was there to hinder his dropping some hint 
to the effect that Benedict, enemy to Alford, was 
alive? 

He returned to the place where he had left 
Millicent. His face was very grave and thought¬ 
ful. 

“ What is it? ” she asked, apprehensively notic¬ 
ing the trouble in his face. 

“ It was Guilbert,” said the boy gloomily. “ He 
has gone up to the castle to get his reward.” The 
little girl looked up at him in perplexity. 

“ But that is just what Anselm wanted,” she 
pointed out. 

106 


PLANS AWRY 


107 

“ I know,” replied the boy, “ but I don’t trust 
him. He is harboring revenge upon Anselm. I 
feel sure of it. He hates him for taking away his 
sword. There is nothing that angers a fighting 
man as does wresting away his sword. He would 
like to revenge himself, even although the fight 
was a fair one. He might accuse him of some 
evil deed.” 

Millicent shivered at the recollection of the 
grim, sinister-faced man who had scowled upon 
her so blackly on the hillside. She was quite ca¬ 
pable of accusing him of any evil deed on the 
strength of that look. 

“ I wish that Anselm were here,” continued 
Giles. “ If we could only hear what they say. 
Then we could know what to expect.” 

Millicent scrambled to her feet and laid an 
eager hand upon his arm. Her eyes had a very 
intelligent gleam. She clapped her hands softly. 

u I know just what we can do,” she proposed ex¬ 
citedly. “ We can hide in the secret passage, slip 
the door in back of the tapestry out just the littlest 
way, and listen to every word they have to say. It 
might help us to make plans of what to do.” 

Giles looked at her soberly. 

“ You have got a good head for a girl,” he con¬ 
ceded. “ Let’s go now.” 

For several moments they fumbled about, trying 
to discover the hidden spring on the paneling in 


io8 


GILES OF THE STAR 


the cell. Neither Giles nor Millicent had seen just 
where it was when Anselm had opened the panel. 
However, by pressing carefully on all the places 
near where they thought it was located, they at last 
succeeded in pushing it aside. 

“ It’s lucky that we didn’t have to retreat into 
the passage in a hurry,” said Giles soberly. “ It 
was thoughtless of me not to make sure before An¬ 
selm left.” 

Giles fetched a new torch and thrust one end of 
it deep into the glowing embers of the banked fire. 
Fires were usually kept from one meal to the next, 
in days of long ago. It was hard to get one started 
and, because wood was cheaply obtained, the fire 
was kept from meal to meal and from day to day. 
This was done by banking. When it was needed 
for cooking the covering was carefully raked aside 
and fresh fuel added. As soon as one end of the 
torch was ablaze, the children slipped into the 
secret passage, closing the panel behind them. 

All talking ceased as they entered the passage. 
It did not take long to reach the other end. The 
panel slipped a little to the side without the 
slightest sound to betray them. There was a con¬ 
fused murmur of voices on the other side of the 
tapestry. Evidently the noon meal was in full 
swing. The laughter of ladies and the deeper 
voices of the men mingled in a blur of sound. 
Once or twice they heard the deeper voice of Lord 


PLANS AWRY 


109 

Alford, and Giles thought that he could distin¬ 
guish the voice of Guilbert. 

For some time they listened to the medley of 
voices. Both children were tired, long before the 
meal drew to its close. Millicent leaned her head 
back against the side of the passage. It was all 
that she could do to keep awake. At last they 
heard the rustle of people, the rising and scraping 
of benches as they were shoved back from the 
table, and gradually the voices of knights and 
ladies died away. 

Then came the curt voice of Lord Alford, or¬ 
dering the servants to hasten in clearing away the 
remnants of the feast. They could hear the scrape 
of benches being dragged away to their places 
against the wall, and the thump of table-boards as 
they were lifted from their standards and lined up 
against the wall. 

Again came the voice of Lord Alford, curt and 
impatient, ordering the servants to make haste. 
This was followed by the slam of a heavy door. 
As soon as the last servant left the room, Lord 
Alford turned toward Guilbert. 

“ Well? ” there was brusque command mingled 
with anxiety in his voice. 

“ It is done,” replied Guilbert airily. 

“ You mean? ” he inquired. 

“Yes,” answered Guilbert. 

“ Well, what do you mean? ” questioned Alford. 


no 


GILES OF THE STAR 


And both of the children could hear the strain of 
worry and even fear in his voice. How surprised 
he would have been if he knew that they were so 
close to him that they could hear every word that 
was said! 

“ I mean that I have come for my reward,” re¬ 
plied Guilbert. 

Lord Alford drew a long sigh of relief. He had 
come for his reward. Then everything had hap¬ 
pened as he had planned. 

“ You have the proof? ” he queried. 

“ Here,” replied Guilbert. “ I have come for 
my gold.” 

Alford broke into a great laugh of relief. 
“ There is naught to stand between me and the in¬ 
heritance,” he exulted. “Tell me more of the 
details! Was she hard to manage? Relieve my 
uncle-like anxiety, I beg of you.” 

Both men laughed boisterously at this pleas¬ 
antry, and Giles felt Millicent stiffen rigidly be¬ 
side him. Uncle-like anxiety, indeed! 

“ It was an easy matter,” lied the man glibly. 
“ She gave a startled scream when I laid hold of 
her, but I stuffed a gag in her mouth, threw a 
blanket around her thus pinioning her arms at her 
side, bound her securely, and, after throwing her 
across the saddle, rode away with her as easily as 
if she had been a bag of meal.” 

Giles and Millicent exchanged glances. There 


PLANS AWRY 


hi 


was a twinkle of amusement in Giles’s eyes, and he 
wondered what would happen if he suddenly 
opened the panel and confronted Guilbert with the 
word “Liar!” He could almost see the amazed 
and terrified face of the man he would be accus¬ 
ing. Millicent shivered. The picture which he 
presented might have been a real one and was not 
in the least attractive to her. 

“Tell me more!” demanded Alford eagerly. 
“What did you do with her?” 

“ Well,” continued Guilbert, “ I rode a little 
farther to a lonely part of the forest where I had 
heard that Gypsies and outlaws often made their 
stand. And it was into their hands that I gave the 
Lady Millicent.” 

Lord Alford looked at him keenly. He had 
been regretting that he had offered Guilbert so 
large a sum. Perhaps it would be possible to make 
him satisfied with less or perhaps, by trickery, he 
could escape paying the whole of the reward. It 
would be worth trying. 

“ Gypsies or outlaws,” he said. “ They are dif¬ 
ferent. To which did you give her? ” 

“ As I was riding along I met a band of the 
strolling ones who live from hand to mouth on 
what they can steal. They did not speak either 
Norman or English so it was to them that I gave 
the child.” 

“ Not to outlaws? ” said Alford slowly. 


) 


112 GILES OF THE STAR 

“ No,” retorted the other. “ The other way was 
much the better. Gypsies cannot understand the 
words of those who are seeking the little lost lady. 
They would not understand her if she promised to 
give them rich rewards for returning her to her 
castle. She cannot tell them who she is. Why, 
man, I could not have done a better thing.” 

Lord Alford said nothing for several moments. 

“ I thought the plan would suit you well,” con¬ 
tinued Guilbert. 

The plan did suit him well. He was very much 
pleased. He did not care whether Millicent were 
in the hands of Gypsies or outlaws, so long as she 
never turned up to wrest from him the castle of 
Avalon, but he did see a way to cheat Guilbert out 
of a part of the promised reward. He pretended 
great anger. The logic of Guilbert’s reasoning 
was unanswerable, but he chose to ignore it. 

“You have broken our agreement,” he said 
slowly, yet sternly. 

“ In what way? ” snapped the other. 

“ It was agreed that the child should be given 
into the keeping of outlaws, and you have done 
otherwise. I shall allow you to keep that gold 
which I have already given you, but no more shall 
you receive.” 

“ Is that so? ” asked Guilbert softly. His voice 
was quiet but there was distinctly an unpleasant 
note in it. 


PLANS AWRY 


“3 

“ Yes,” said Alford firmly, although there was 
something about the other’s voice that was not 
quite pleasing to him. “You shall forfeit the 
reward.” 

Guilbert had already received a large sum for 
doing the deed. This had been paid to him when 
the plan was made. He had received the money 
and had failed to do the deed. That money was 
like an unearned gift. He ought to be satisfied. 
Moreover, he knew what kind of a man Alford 
was and, although he himself was tricky and un¬ 
trustworthy, he hated Alford for having those 
same unpleasant traits. Here was his chance for 
revenging himself, both on Lord Alford for his at¬ 
tempted trick and upon Benedict, his old enemy. 
The idea appealed to his sense of humor. 

“ Lord Alford,” he said slowly, “ if I give up 
all my claim upon this reward peaceably and 
without fighting for my right, will you swear an 
oath by all of the saints and by the city of our 
blessed Lord that you will permit me to ride away 
from your castle and away from Avalon, un¬ 
molested and free to join my friends in the forest? ” 

Alford looked at him suspiciously. This mild 
agreement, this calm giving up of all hope of re¬ 
ward, was most unexpected. However, he was 
greatly relieved. 

“ Will you promise,” he asked, “ will you prom¬ 
ise that you will not divulge to another what I 




11 4 GILES OF THE STAR 

have told you of my hopes and plans? Will you 
swear by the Veronica handkerchief that our 
blessed Lord used when He wiped the blood away 
from His face, that you will never aid my niece 
against me? If you are willing to swear this, then 
by all the bones of all the saints in heaven and by 
the Holy City as well, I swear that thou shall de¬ 
part in peace, be your record ever so black. May 
my right hand wither and blast by my side if I 
break my oath.” 

“ By the Veronica handkerchief that has wiped 
away the stain of blood from the face of our Lord, 
I swear that never by deed or word will I betray 
that which I know concerning the dealings of Al¬ 
ford, Duke of Avalon, toward his niece, Millicent, 
former owner of Avalon, and I will depart in 
peace without claiming the reward which was 
promised to me and which is, by right, mine.” 

Lord Alford heaved a great sigh of relief. So 
loud a sigh it was that the children could plainly 
hear it through the tapestry. It looked very much 
as if things were going very smoothly for Lord Al¬ 
ford. He was assured that Millicent would never 
trouble him again, and he had so managed it that 
his accomplice had agreed to go away with only a 
part of the reward promised to him. Everything 
looked rosy to Lord Alford. 

Giles and Millicent could hear the clank of 
sword and armor as Guilbert crossed the floor to 


PLANS AWRY 


1 15 

the door but, before he reached it, he paused and 
said blandly, “ To show you that I bear you no 
ill will I will give you a bit of information that 
cannot help but interest and benefit you.” 

“ Well? ” asked the other. 

“ Do you recall Sir Benedict, younger brother 
of my lady, the Lady Millicent’s mother? ” 

Lord Alford’s lips suddenly parched. It had 
been Sir Benedict who had betrayed to King 
Richard the treachery of Lord Alford at the time 
of Millicent’s birth. It had been Benedict who 
had kept him from gaining possession of the castle 
at that time. 

“ It was I who killed him,” said Alford, and his 
voice trembled. “ You saw him dead.” 

“ It must have been his ghost that I saw on top 
of Rhywick Hill no later than yesterday,” laughed 
Guilbert. “ It was a pretty substantial ghost, how¬ 
ever.” 

“ What do you mean? ” 

“ Mean? ” repeated Guilbert. “ I mean that no 
later than yesterday I saw and fought with Sir 
Benedict.” 

“ I left him breathing his last on the road that 
leads up to the old Monastery,” almost whispered 
Alford. “You can’t have seen him. I tell you 
the man is dead. It was some other man you saw.” 

“ You know my reputation as a swordsman,” an¬ 
swered Guilbert. “You remember that thirteen 


ii6 GILES OF THE STAR 

years ago he wrested my sword from me with a 
clever twist of the wrist. No man before or since 
has been able to do that until yesterday. Yester¬ 
day, I met him and we fought. Again my sword 
was twisted from my grasp. Who, but Benedict, 
ever carried a plain-hilted sword with its insignia 
scratched upon its blade? ” 

“ That sword is in the armory,” put in Alford. 
“ You are lying to me, as you have lied before.” 

Guilbert laughed unpleasantly. “ Send to your 
armory and tell them to bring in the plain-hilted 
sword. You will find it missing.” 

Lord Alford started for the door but paused. 

“ You said that you fought with him,” he said. 
“ What was the occasion of that fight? ” 

Guilbert hesitated. He did not want to confess 
that he had lied about the Gypsies, but he did want 
Alford to know in whose hands he would find the 
Lady Millicent. At last he spoke, his very good 
imagination standing him in good stead. 

“ He saw me at the Spring and followed me. 
As he went on foot and I on horseback, I soon dis¬ 
tanced him. Then I fell in with the Gypsies and 
handed over to them the Lady Millicent. On my 
return I again met him and this time recognized 
him. We fought and he wrested from me my 
sword, and forced me to tell what I had done with 
little Millicent, his niece. I refused at first, but 
he was so pressing with his sword that I decided 


PLANS AWRY 117 

it better to humor him. Later I saw her in his 
possession. He saw you desert her. He knows 
that you are planning to take her castle.” 

“You lie,” stammered Alford. 

“ Let the missing sword prove my words are 
true,” said Guilbert. “ She is in his hands now.” 

Alford flinched. He knew that Guilbert was 
capable of lying, but he also knew that he would 
not be able to think up such a tale himself. There 
must be some truth in it. He was in a state of 
collapse. Sir Benedict was the only soul on earth 
whom he had ever feared. It was he who had pre¬ 
vented his evil deeds from succeeding. He hated 
him as he hated no other man. He had rejoiced 
as he stood by his bleeding body a dozen years 
before. How had he recovered? Had the monks 
from the monastery found him in time to save his 
life? Where had he been these last twelve years? 

While he was still in that dazed mood, Guilbert 
quietly withdrew. He had done enough and it 
was safer to be elsewhere. Alford would probably 
blame him when he had thought the matter over. 
Guilbert was satisfied. He had gotten consider¬ 
able reward although he had failed in his mission. 
He had succeeded in frightening Lord Alford 
badly, and had in some measure gotten even with 
Anselm for tying him to a tree. 

Bubbling over with a desire to talk things over, 
and rightly judging that they would learn no more 


GILES OF THE STAR 


118 

from Lord Alford, Giles and Millicent hurried 
through the secret passage to the cell. 

“What did he mean?” broke from both pairs 
of lips, as the panel slid back into place. 

“ He told a lie about giving you into the hands 
of Gypsies,” said Giles. “ He told a dozen lies. 
How do we know he was talking about Sir Bene¬ 
dict? Anselm says that one can never believe one 
who is known to be false.” 

“ He had a good reason for telling the other 
lie,” replied Millicent sagely, “ but what he said 
about Benedict sounded like truth. You know 
that he mentioned a plain-hilted sword, and you 
told me yourself how Anselm got that sword. Be¬ 
sides, Anselm knows about the secret passages of 
the castle. I don’t think that Guilbert could think 
all that out for himself, either.” 

They went out on the green turf before the 
mouth of the cell where, far below, they could see 
the winding road. For several moments they sat 
in silence. Both were thinking over what they had 
heard and were trying to make it fit in with what 
they already knew. It was Millicent who spoke 
first. 

“ Do you remember telling me that Anselm 
could do all the things that a knight could do, and 
that you told me that he had ridden in a tourna¬ 
ment? ” 

“Yes,” replied Giles wonderingly. 


PLANS AWRY 119 

“ Only knights may ride in tournaments,” said 
Millicent simply. 

“ Guilbert said that he was your mother’s 
brother,” said Giles suddenly. “ Why, that would 
make him your uncle, Millicent.” 

“ My uncle,” said Millicent softly. “ Why, so 
it would. He is much more like what a good uncle 
should be than Uncle Alford.” 

Several times during the day the children saw 
villagers and knights go up to the castle, but each 
time they passed by the dividing rock. It seemed 
strange to Giles to have Anselm away for so long 
and he worried about him, but he was not lonely. 
Neither he nor Millicent had ever known the 
friendship of children of their own age, and both 
enjoyed the experience. 

Giles showed her his pets. There were a pair 
of snowy rabbits with six little ones in a snug, 
little hutch. Millicent went into raptures over the 
pretty things. Sitting down by the hutch, she 
spread out her dress to receive the soft baby mor¬ 
sels that Giles handed to her. Giles brought her 
handfuls of clover blossoms which she fed to them, 
one by one. He also showed her how to lift them 
by the ears. 

<c I should think it would hurt them,” she ob¬ 
jected. “ What makes their noses wiggle so? ” 

Giles could not answer that question, but he had 
a theory to offer concerning their long ears. 


120 GILES OF THE STAR 

u I think they were made that way for handles,” 
he told her. 

When they were hungry they ate the dark bread 
and fruit that Anselm had left for them. At last 
the setting sun spread a rosy glow over the sky, 
but still Anselm did not come. Giles was frankly 
worried. 

“ I wonder whether I ought to go and try to find 
him,” he said, after a long silence. “ I am afraid 
that he has met Guilbert or some one whom Guil- 
bert may have turned against him.” 

The trouble in his face was mirrored in Milli- 
cent’s eyes. 

“ I wonder if he is really my uncle,” she mused. 
“ I hope so, for it would be nice to know that I 
belonged to some one who really cared for me 
because I belonged to him. When Uncle Alford 
first came to the castle I was so happy, for I 
thought that he would love me and that I should 
love him.” 

“ I haven’t even an uncle,” replied Giles, “ but 
I have always felt as if I belonged to Anselm. He 
has always been so good to me.” 

The evening shadows deepened. Both Giles 
and Millicent were tired, yet neither thought of 
going to bed. A single star shone out over a pine- 

tree. It made Giles think of the star on his coat 

\ 

of arms. He turned to mention it to Millicent, 
but he did not speak for she was sound asleep, 


PLANS AWRY 


121 


leaning up against the sprawling root of a tree. 
The night wind swept over the hillside and, al¬ 
though it was early summer, there was a chill in 
the air. Giles brought out his thick cape and laid 
it over her shoulders. 

It had been rather a wonderful day for him. He 
envied the boys and girls who had big brothers 
and sisters. He found himself wishing that he had 
a sister like Millicent who would be interested in 
his doings. Had he been a real page, she could 
not have treated him with more respect. It made 
him feel very grown-up to have her put into his 
care. 

Hugging his knees in his favorite attitude, he 
looked out over the moon-flooded valley, and some¬ 
thing in his heart gave a great throb of delight at 
the beauty of the night. It made him long to go 
out into the world and do something fine and won¬ 
derful. 

“ To right the wrong and follow the king,” the 
words sang themselves over and over in the boy’s 
heart. A sound of footsteps on the path drew him 
out of his world of dreams. They were familiar 
footsteps, and the boy sprang to his feet in delight. 
In another moment the man’s arm was about the 
boy’s shoulders. 

“Were you worried, Giles?” asked Anselm. 

“Yes,” returned Giles. “I was not afraid for 
myself nor for Millicent, but I have discovered 


122 


GILES OF THE STAR 


that you have an enemy that you little suspect and 
that there is new danger for you.” 

Anselm laughed easily. “ I know that Guilbert 
recognized me on the hilltop. Our swords have 
crossed before. He holds a grudge against me. I 
did hope that the chance of getting a reward would 
keep him silent, though well I know that he is 
venomous. Tell me how you come to know any¬ 
thing of my enemy! ” 

The boy told of seeing him on the way to the 
castle. He told of Millicent’s plan of overhear¬ 
ing what was said. He repeated the conversation 
they had heard almost verbatim. Anselm ap¬ 
proved of everything that had been done. 

“ It gives me something to go by,” he said. 
“ Now that I know what they know, I can better 
foil them.” 

“Are you really the Lady Millicent’s uncle?” 
asked Giles. “ Are you Sir Benedict, disguised as 
a hermit? ” 

“ I really am,” replied Anselm. 

“What happened to-day at the village? Were 
the people angry that their little lady had been 
taken away? Was the chase exciting? Did you 
take part in it? ” How many other questions 
would have followed in quick succession, I do not 
know. Anselm laughed heartily. It was not a 
loud laugh, but it awoke Millicent in time to hear 
his adventures. 


PLANS AWRY 


123 

“ As I was ambling along the road this morning 
as if never a care in the wide world bothered me, 
who should come riding along but a young squire 
from the castle? He stopped to tell me of the 
desperate ruffians who had snatched the Lady Mil- 
licent away from under her uncle’s nose. I ex¬ 
pressed deep concern. I agreed to aid in the 
search that was being made. Together we came 
to the town market-place. On all tongues was the 
story of the disappearance of the Lady Millicent. 
Men and boys were planning to comb the hills to 
find her at all costs. I told them that I well knew 
the region around the Spring, that I had often 
hunted through the fields and woods for herbs. I 
offered to help in the search. I offered to lead a 
party of searchers. My offer was accepted. All 
about the Spring we searched, beating down 
brambles and thickets. We were scratched and 
tom by thorns. Some quit but many searched the 
whole day, anxious for the reward that Alford had 
offered.” 

“ The reward?” said Millicent in bewilder¬ 
ment. “ Why should he offer a reward for me? I 
thought that he wanted to get rid of me.” 

11 Yes,” replied Giles wisely. “ He wants to get 
rid of you but he does not want people to know 
that he wants to. He wants people to think he is 
half-wild at losing you.” 

“It was on the farther side of Rhywick Hill 


GILES OF THE STAR 


124 

that we searched,” continued Anselm, “ and in the 
swamp at its base. It was there we found reason 
to think that she had been carried that way. We 
found bits of her gown which had been torn from 
it by brambles.” 

Both children looked at him in amazement. 

“ How could that be? ” asked Giles. Anselm 
laughed. 

“ They were placed there by me,” he responded. 
“ It proved to them that she had been carried that 
way.” 

The hermit took a package from under his arm 
and handed it to Millicent. 

“ Here are your peasant clothes, my child, little 
niece,” he added affectionately. “ Dress yourself 
in them to-morrow, and we will then make our 
plans. Good night, my children.’’ 


CHAPTER X 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 

For several days Millicent lived at the hermit’s 
cell. The sun tanned her face. Life was very 
different from that which she had lived at the 
castle. For the first time she ran and played with 
another child. For the first time she played out 
on the open hillside. 

She grew very much interested in the housekeep¬ 
ing arrangements at the cell and insisted upon tak¬ 
ing over the cooking of the meals and the tidying 
of the cell. Giles was not sorry to have her under¬ 
take this particular part of his work, for he de¬ 
tested anything concerned with housekeeping. At 
first everything seemed much coarser than that to 
which she was accustomed, but the novelty of it 
fascinated her. It was true that the bread was 
dark and hard, but a healthy outdoor appetite 
made it taste better than the finest loaves ever 
baked by the castle cook. The little dress that 
Nanny had sent was only rough homespun flax, 
dyed with herbs from a country garden, but it was 
simply made, in a style more comfortable than any 
that she had worn before, and she liked the color 
of it, a rich medium blue. 

The second day she was at the cell marked a 

125 


126 


GILES OF THE STAR 


great change in her appearance. From a golden 
haired, fair-faced lassie she became dark of hair 
and of complexion. 

Anselm knew much of the value and use of 
herbs. He had many sweet-smelling ones stored 
away in his cell. Some were hanging in great 
fragrant bunches from the rafters that held up the 
roof of the cell. Others were steeped in water 
which was contained in earthenware jars. In one 
of these jars was a clear, brown liquid that Anselm 
said was made from the bark of nut trees. It was 
what he had used from time to time to keep his 
own naturally light hair dark. 

It was in this liquid that Millicent dipped her 
long, golden curls. They came out dark, wet 
rings. Anselm then diluted some of the liquid, 
which she used in staining her face, neck, and 
arms. 

When the curls had been rubbed dry and ar¬ 
ranged in peasant style and the dress and rough 
footwear of the peasant were assumed, Millicent 
looked like another child. Lady Millicent of the 
castle of Avalon was gone, and simple little Ann 
of the country remained in her place. 

There was much going on at the castle and about 
the countryside. When Lord Alford discovered 
that Millicent was with her other uncle, his worst 
enemy, he was much alarmed. He knew that Sir 
Benedict would not rest until he had returned his 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 127 

niece to her rightful position as Lady of Avalon. 
He wondered how Sir Benedict had discovered the 
plot. Could it be simply by chance? Alford was 
inclined to believe that black magic was at the 
bottom of it. One thing was very certain. It was 
now absolutely necessary to regain the possession 
of the Lady Millicent. 

Before, he had determined to rid himself of her. 
Now, he would have cheerfully given one-fourth 
of all his ill-gotten gain to have her back. He 
doubled his original reward. Every day knights 
rode out of the castle and passed the rock of di¬ 
vision, but so careful were Anselm, Giles, and 
Millicent that the secret of the hidden cell re¬ 
mained secure. Perched as it was on a ledge over 
one precipice and under the overhanging of an¬ 
other one, the place was well-nigh inaccessible. 

Both Giles and Anselm took great precaution in 
leaving and returning to the retreat. Only under 
the cover of darkness did either climb the inter¬ 
vening rock. Twice Nanny came to the cell to 
bring news of what was going on in the village. 
Once she came by moonlight, the other time long 
before sunrise. 

Both times she brought food, for the supply was 
getting low. From her Anselm heard that every 
one had learned that Sir Benedict was suspected, 
but since none of them knew what he looked like, 
several men had been sent for who would recog- 


128 


GILES OF THE STAR 


nize him. After that Anselm did not go to the 
village. Neither did he let himself be seen about 
the hill. He instructed Nanny to inform any who 
asked about Anselm, the hermit, that he had been 
contemplating visiting the shrine of Thomas a 
Becket. 

“ I have been thinking of making the pilgrimage 
for some time,” he told the children. “ Let the 
curious think I have gone.” 

The whole countryside was in a fever of excite¬ 
ment. 

“ I thought it would subside if I waited long 
enough,” said Anselm gloomily, “ but every day it 
grows worse.” 

That night Nanny made her third visit to the 
cell. She was breathless from the climb and wild 
with excitement. For a few moments she could 
not speak. Giles filled one of the crockery dishes 
from the spring and gave it to her. She drank 
deeply. 

“ What is it? ” asked Anselm, when she had re¬ 
gained her breath and was able to speak. 

“ They are going to search this hillside to-mor¬ 
row morning,” she said. “They know now that 
Anselm the hermit and Sir Benedict the English 
knight are one and the same.” 

For a moment no one spoke. It was too much 
of a shock. 

“ How do they know? ” asked Giles. 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 129 

“I will tell you,” replied Nanny. “As you 
know, my sister’s husband keeps the tavern and it 
is there that I have been staying since I left the 
castle. This evening a group of soldiers came in 
for the nightly mug of beer. One of them was an 
evil-looking fellow whom I had not seen for twelve 
years, but I recognized him. Once seeing him, 
one would know him again. They called for their 
beer and they called for a room in which they 
could discuss private matters. My sister showed 
them into a little room off by itself. I had made 
up my mind that I would listen to all of their 
private matters myself, and, knowing of a spot that 
was thinner than all the rest and away from 
where I might be seen, I laid my ear against it. 
By the sound of footsteps I knew that some one 
went to all the doors and windows to see whether 
any one was about. 

“ ‘ I have a secret which I would sell for gold,’ 
I heard one man say. 

“ Another laughed and replied, ‘ There are 
many who are willing to sell their secrets for gold.’ 

“ ‘ Mine would recover the Lady Millicent,’ re¬ 
plied the first speaker. 

“ 1 Why, then, do you not take advantage of your 
own secret,’ gibed a voice which I had not heard 
before. There was a shout of rough laughter, and 
I could hear anger creep into the voice of the first 
speaker. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


130 

“ ‘Take it or leave it,’ he snapped. ‘ It is well 
worth the money I ask. I know of others that 
will be glad of the information.’ 

“ Then came the low-pitched voice that seemed 
to belong to an older man. 

“ ‘ Do not leave in haste. Will you tell us why 
you are willing to sell this information, rather than 
use it yourself? ’ 

“ ‘ I cannot use it,’ replied the first, mollified by 
the courteous request. ‘ Lord Alford is my enemy, 
as I am his, for he did not keep his promise to me. 
I would not help him now, were it not for the fact 
that by doing so I can revenge myself upon an¬ 
other enemy and earn no small sum for my pains. 
In my hands now lies the knowledge which will 
recover the Lady Millicent. For an equal share 
of the reward, I will tell it to you.’ 

“ Then came a confused murmur of voices. I 
could not tell exactly what was said. Then again 
I heard the deep voice of the older man. 

“ ‘ We agree,’ he said. 

“‘The man you seek is Sir Benedict.’ He 
paused dramatically. 

“‘You are crazy,’ snapped the second one. 
‘You are crazy, or else you are trying to make 
sport of us. My brother saw Sir Benedict lying 
in a pool of his own blood. The man is dead.’ 

“ ‘ No, Rick,’ replied the older man. ‘ I have 
heard rumors that such might be the case. My 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 131 

information came from one of the men-at-arms. 
Your news is old. I heard that yesterday.’ 

“ ‘ Did you never think it strange that so young 
and strong a man as Anselm should be a hermit? 
How often have you seen him face to face? He 
rarely comes to town. Do any of you know where 
upon the hill he makes his home? I have made 
inquiries about him. He came, as far as I can 
find out, about the same time that the Lady Evelyn, 
Millicent’s mother, died. Does it not seem strange 
to you that no one knows anything about him? 
Who is he? I think I know. Last week we 
fought, he and I. He cast aside his hermit’s robe. 
He was in armor. I recognized him by his swords¬ 
manship. I recognized him by his plain-hilted 
sword. Put yourself on the trail of the hermit 
Anselm and you will win the reward.’ ” 

As Nanny stopped, out of breath, there was a 
stunned silence. Millicent’s eyes were opened very 
wide. They held horror. Giles looked at Anselm. 
The man’s face was as set as if cut from granite. 
Giles broke the silence. 

“ I know that it was a wishing rock,” he said 
positively. “ I wished for adventure. Not half 
a day passed before our adventure began. What 
are we going to do now? ” 

Anselm shook his head. 

“ This place is no longer safe for us,” he said. 
“ There are many who know that I live in the 


I 


132 GILES OF THE STAR 

vicinity. Millicent must go to the Lady Constance 
at once.” 

“ You will not be able to take her,” said Nanny 
quickly. “ It would be too much of a risk. It 
would endanger both of you as well as Lady Milli¬ 
cent. Let me take her.” 

“ It would be exactly as dangerous for you to 
try,” said Anselm gloomily. “ Every one knows 
that you were dismissed from the castle. They 
might think it was your plan for revenging your¬ 
self upon Lord Alford. It would go hard with 
you if you were caught. We must not endanger 
Lady Millicent.” 

With a single bound Giles was at Anselm’s side. 
He laid an eager hand upon the man’s arm and his 
eyes shone with enthusiasm. 

“ Let me do it!” he cried. “No one would 
suspect a mere boy. They would never think that 
you would trust me. We can go as strolling min¬ 
strels. They are always welcomed, both in the 
homes of the poor and the castles of the rich. 
People do not know that Millicent is trying to 
escape her wicked uncle. They think that she was 
kidnapped. Do let me try.” 

Anselm hesitated. Giles was only a boy but he 
was trustworthy. There was great danger but 
Giles was wise for his years. He had been trained 
to keep control of himself and could be trusted to 
keep Millicent out of unnecessary danger. After 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 133 

all, their greatest danger was to be found in An¬ 
selm’s presence. To save them both, Giles and 
Millicent, he must separate from them. 

“We could pretend to be brother and sister,” 
suggested Millicent. The idea of being a strolling 
minstrel pleased her. 

Anselm looked at Nanny and she toward him. 
They could barely see each other in the gloom of 
the night. 

“ I think we had better let them try,” she said 
gravely. “ It is risky, but it is safer for them than 
if either of us was with them. It is also safer than 
keeping them here would be.” 

For several moments they discussed plans. It 
was decided that the start should be made that 
night. 

“ They will be searching for us to-morrow,” 
said Giles. “ This whole hillside will be searched.” 
Just before he started, he ran to his rabbit hutch. 
The rabbits were huddled asleep in one corner. 
Carefully he lifted each out by its long ears and 
gave it its freedom. There would be no one 
around the cell to care for them for many days, 
for Anselm, too, was leaving. Never before had 
Giles slept away from the cell since first he was 
brought there. In all that time he had not gone 
five miles away from Avalon. Now he was going, 
and there was no telling when he would return, 
perhaps never, for from then on his life was to 


GILES OF THE STAR 


i 34 

belong to Lady Millicent, an exile from home. It 
was a strange feeling. 

His life and the life of the Lady Millicent 
would depend upon his wisdom and bravery. It 
was a big responsibility and it made him shiver a 
little just to think of it. 

Over the rock they climbed. It was very dark. 
They could barely see the faint outline of the road 
before them. At the base of the hill Nanny left 
them, taking the road that led to the village. Giles 
looked up at Anselm inquiringly. 

“ I am going to see you on your way,” said An¬ 
selm. 

Both children were eager to hurry, but Anselm 
held them to a steady, medium speed. “ We must 
not get too tired at the first part of our long walk, 
for it will unfit us for the end of it,” he cautioned. 

They did not talk much. It seemed very strange 
to be starting on such a long journey on foot when 
the whole world about them seemed asleep. Mil¬ 
licent clung closely to her uncle’s hand, shivering 
at every unexpected sound. She was not really 
afraid when he was there, but she dreaded the 
time when he would leave them. Giles, holding 
carefully his precious harp, was wondering what 
he should do if he were suddenly surrounded by 
half a dozen soldiers who recognized Millicent. 
It was not a pleasant thought. It was Anselm who 
broke the silence. 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 135 

“ We may never see each other again, Giles,” he 
said in a quiet voice. The boy’s hand closed con¬ 
vulsively over the man’s arm, but he said nothing. 
“ You will do as we have planned regarding Lady 
Millicent. I am putting her in your trust. You 
will stay by her until I return, guard her, fight for 
her, and die for her, if need be.” Giles pressed his 
friend’s arm, but did not speak. He was trying to 
crush down the big lump which rose in his throat. 
“ I can trust you, lad,” said Anselm solemnly. 

“And you?” asked the boy. “What are you 
going to do? ” 

“ I am going to collect money for King Rich¬ 
ard,” replied the man simply. 

Again there was a silence. Giles was thinking 
about Anselm’s plan. Oh, if he could only go to 
aid King Richard! How wonderful it would be! 
He hated to have Anselm leave him behind. He 
wanted to go. Surely if he went to King Richard 
with Anselm a chance would arise whereby he 
might show his bravery. Perhaps he could be¬ 
come a knight himself, if he served faithfully. 

But there was Millicent! It was his duty to 
see that she reached Lady Constance safely. A 
knight should always do his duty faithfully. 
Otherwise, he was not fit to be a knight. Giles 
wanted to be worthy of knighthood, so he squared 
his shoulders and set his teeth. Anselm should 
never even know how much Giles wanted to go 


136 GILES OF THE STAR 

with him. Anselm did know. He laid his hand 
on the boy’s shoulder, and there was sympathy 
and understanding in the touch. 

Millicent sighed heavily. It was very late and 
she was tired. She was not used to long tramps at 
night. Her eyes were heavy and her feet lagged. 
They had avoided going through the village for 
fear that they might be halted. Instead, by coun¬ 
try lanes and across fields, Anselm led the way. 
They were going in the general direction of Spaf- 
ford, the next town to Avalon, for the road north 
led through it and it was in that direction that they 
must go. 

“ We must skirt around the town,” explained 
Anselm, “ for the news of Millicent’s loss will 
have spread far and wide.” 

Before they reached SpafTord they left the road, 
and after stumbling across country for nearly half 
an hour, reached a little wood that crowned a 
small hill. It was there that Anselm decided that 
the first halt was to be made, and there he in¬ 
tended to leave them. Both Millicent and Giles 
were glad to stop, for the way had been long and 
darkness had made traveling very difficult. All 
three sat down at the foot of a big pine-tree. 
Anselm slipped from his shoulder a leathern 
pouch of generous size. 

“ Here is food,” he explained. “ Make it last 
as long as possible. The time will come when you 


THE FLIGHT FROM THE CELL 137 

will have to ask for something to eat along the way 
or sing for it, but get as far from Avalon as you 
can before doing so. Watch your speech. Do not 
use the Norman language in the hearing of any 
one, for they are simple English peasants and hate 
the Normans. Giles, I am putting into your hands 
two packets. The smaller of the two give into the 
hands of the Lady Constance. Some churchman 
will read it to her. Keep the other hidden se¬ 
curely away until I come to you. Show it to no 
one. Do not open it yourself. Keep it, I say, un¬ 
til I come to you.” 

So saying, he handed two small packets to Giles, 
who instantly secreted them about his clothing. 

“ We trust you, Millicent,” he said to her. 
u You are of the family of Avalon and, until Al¬ 
ford, the family has always been true to a trust. 
This is a secret that must go no farther. No one 
must know of this packet.” 

“ I will never tell,” she promised. 

Again he turned to Giles. 

“ It may be that we shall never see each other 
again,” he continued. “ In that case it will be 
necessary for you to know the contents of the 
packet. If I do not return to you before you reach 
manhood, when you are grown-up, read the packet 
and do what you feel to be right about it.” 

It was all very puzzling and Giles felt his curi¬ 
osity rising. What could be in that mysterious 


GILES OF THE STAR 


138 

packet? However, it was a part of knighthood 
to be trustworthy and, although he did not have a 
high-sounding name and was not the holder of fine 
castles and the owner of beautiful weapons, still, 
he was a knight inside and would scorn to betray 
a trust. 

“ I will do as you say,” he said. Then Anselm 
made him repeat the orders that he had given, so 
that he might feel sure that there was no mistake. 

For a few moments they sat talking about the 
trip to Lady Constance. 

“ Do not ask the way to the castle,” cautioned 
Anselm. “ People would consider that very 
strange. They would not understand what busi¬ 
ness peasant children would have with the lord of 
a castle and would suspect you.” 

“ How shall we find our way? ” asked Millicent. 

“ Ask for Lichester, the town. Say that you are 
going to friends,” replied Anselm rising. “ I must 
go now, for it will soon be dawn and I must not be 
seen with you.” 

For a moment he held both children very close. 
Then with, u God bless you and keep you, my 
children,” he left them there on the hillside. 


CHAPTER XI 


SHELTER 

It was late in the morning when the children 
awoke. The sun was shining brightly, but so dense 
was the foliage above them that they were in the 
shade. Millicent was the first to awake. She 
rubbed her eyes, for a moment bewildered by her 
surroundings. The long, hard walk of the day be¬ 
fore seemed like a fantastic dream. Had it really 
happened? The events of the whole preceding 
week seemed dreamlike and unreal. 

For a few moments she lay quite still, looking 
up into the tree above her head. A little brown 
bird was making her nest there. She was busy 
weaving into it a long straw. Her mate was sitting 
upon the edge of the nest, apparently instructing 
her concerning the management of straws in gen¬ 
eral and this long one in particular. 

The ground was rather hard, and the morning 
air was chilly although it was early summer. She 
scrambled to her feet and looked about her. An¬ 
selm had brought them to the top of a little hill. 
From it Millicent could see the little town of 
Spafford which they had avoided the night before. 
She knew that their destination lay far to the other 
side of the town. On the side away from the town 

139 


GILES OF THE STAR 


140 

was rolling country. At the foot of the hill was 
a clear little brook. 

With a hasty glance at the still sleeping Giles, 
Millicent ran down the hill. After drinking some 
of the water from her cupped hands she bathed 
herself, taking care not to rub too hard lest the 
brown come off her face and arms. She had 
jumped across brooks on horseback and had often 
seen them while out on her rides, but she had 
never dabbled or played in one before. She liked 
the ripple and wash of the brook as it tumbled 
over the stones in its bed. She liked the feeling 
of the water as it ran through her outstretched 
fingers. 

Consequently she stayed longer by the brook 
than she had intended, and it was there that Giles 
found her. 

“What a fright you gave me!” he said as he 
came up. “ When I woke I looked for you, and 
you were not there. I imagined that you had been 
carried off by Alford’s soldiers. I did not dare to 
call. As I looked down the hill I saw your blue 
dress and knew you were all right.” 

“ I am sorry I gave you such a fright,” said 
Millicent. 

“Well, it’s all right now that I know you are 
safe,” replied Giles. “ I should feel that I had 

failed badly if anything happened to prevent-” 

He stopped suddenly. “We’ve got to be careful 



SHELTER 


141 

with what we say,” he continued. “ We must not 
forget that we are brother and sister singing our 
way to our grandmother’s house in Lichester.” 

Giles then opened the leather pouch that An¬ 
selm had left beside them and took from it bread 
and cheese. The very large leaves of a tree fur¬ 
nished Millicent with an idea. She chose a large, 
flat rock for a table, set it prettily with the green 
leaves, and garnished it with a handful of spring 
blossoms. Both children decided that it was great 
fun to camp out. Giles felt very grown-up at hav¬ 
ing all the responsibility. His spirits had recov¬ 
ered. 

As soon as they had eaten they started upon their 
way, for both were anxious to quickly put as great 
a distance between them and Avalon as possible. 
They made a wide detour about Spafford, keeping 
as much as possible to the hedges and woods. Once 
safely around that town Giles insisted upon going 
along the road. 

“ But people will see us so much more easily,” 
protested Millicent. 

“ Yes,” replied the boy, “ but if folks see us hid¬ 
ing about at the edges of woods they will suspect 
us of wrong-doing. They might take us for thieves 
or runaways.” 

“ How well you think things out,” admired Mil¬ 
licent. “ We’ve got to act just as if our trip was 
the commonest kind of a thing.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


142 

For some time they hurried along the road, 
keeping careful watch for passers-by. At last Mil- 
licent chuckled. 

“ What are you laughing at? ” asked Giles, com¬ 
ing out of his make-believe of knights, beautiful 
horses, and fighting. 

“ I was thinking about our grandmother and 
making a picture of what I’d like to have her. I 
think she has soft, white hair and blue eyes. She 
lives in one of the tumble-down, thatched huts 
in the forest, and keeps geese and pigs. Her face 
is all wrinkled, but they are soft, pretty wrinkles.” 

“ I’m quite fond of Grandfather,” said Giles, 
readily falling into the game. “ I guess he will 
need a strong, hearty man like me to take care of 
his garden. It hurts his back to stoop over for the 
weeds.” 

It was soon after this conversation that they met 
the first person that morning. He was on his way 
to the mill, evidently, for over his shoulder was a 
heavy bag. He was a big, jolly-looking man who 
smiled in a friendly way but asked no questions. 
Soon after passing him they came to a small farm. 
Some children were in the yard fondling a yellow 
puppy. The oldest was only about seven years 
old. 

He was a plump little boy with big, round, blue 
eyes and a wide smile. He looked so much like 
the man whom the children had just passed that 


SHELTER 


143 

they rightly guessed that they were father and 
son. He was a friendly, little fellow and insisted 
upon showing Millicent and Giles his puppy. 
Millicent fell quite in love with the soft, little baby 
thing. Giles, however, was not interested in dogs 
at that moment. His quick ear had caught the 
sound of little bells and he knew that some one on 
horseback was approaching. 

Perhaps it was a soldier from Avalon. What 
should he do? If he could only make the soldier 
believe that he and Millicent lived at this farm. 
Just then he saw a goose that was waddling down 
to the small pond in back of the house. 

“ Will you show us your geese?” asked Giles. 
The little fellow nodded. Millicent looked at 
Giles in amazement, opened her lips to speak, 
thought better of it, and closed them. Then she, 
too, heard the bells and understood. 

When the man-at-arms rode up to the farmhouse 
he saw three little peasants playing by the pond. 
He smiled for he had a family of his own, then 
rode on upon his search for the Lady Millicent 
who had been stolen from Avalon, little dreaming 
how near he had been to her. 

“ That was a narrow escape,” said Millicent. 
" I know him. He is one of my uncle’s men.” 

All that day they walked. During the after¬ 
noon they rested frequently. It had been a strange 
day. The weather had been beautiful that morn- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


144 

ing, but, as the day advanced, clouds began to pile 
up in the east. 

“ It is going to rain,” said Giles gloomily. 

The wind had risen. Millicent wrapped her 
long blue cape about her and shivered. She 
thought of the great fires on the hearth at home in 
the castle. Then she thought of the night that 
would be spent out in the open and shivered. She 
was very tired and a little bit cold. It is hard to 
be brave when one is cold and tired and when 
there is no prospect of a night’s rest in a dry, com¬ 
fortable place. Tear-drops gathered on her lashes 
and tumbled down upon the blue cape. She turned 
her head so that Giles would not see the telltale 
drops. 

“ I guess we had better stop in some house if 
we can get any one to take us in,” said Giles 
heavily. 

It took some time to reach the next farm. The 
rain began before they reached it and Millicent 
no longer had to turn her head to hide tears, for 
her face was wet with the rain. It was nearly 
dark when they reached the next cottage. Giles 
knocked at the door. There was the sound of 
footsteps, followed by the noise of a bolt being 
slipped out of its socket. A strong man stood 
there with a club in his hand. It was rather dan¬ 
gerous to open doors after nightfall, for outlaws 
of desperate character were about. He looked 


SHELTER 


i45 

huge against the firelight within. Millicent trem¬ 
bled with something else besides cold. 

“We are caught without shelter,” said Giles. 
“ My sister is cold and it is raining. Will you let 
us remain here for the night? ” 

The man growled something under his breath. 
He seemed to hesitate, then turned to some one 
who was inside the room. 

“ Let them come in, Roger,” said a pleasant 
voice, and a motherly woman came to the door. 
She ruthlessly pushed the man aside and drew 
the two children to the fire. Millicent held out 
wet, cold hands to the blaze. 

“Who are you?” she asked as she took Milli- 
cent’s wet cape. “ How does it happen that you 
are alone by yourselves with night coming on? ” 

“ Our mother and father are dead,” said Milli¬ 
cent softly. “We are going to relatives farther 
north.” 

“ You poor thing,” said the woman hugging her. 
“ How sad! ” 

Roger slipped the bolt back into place and came 
back to the fire. Seen close to, he did not look 
nearly so formidable. 

“ They are too tired to talk, Lisbeth,” he said. 
“ Better fill them up on hot milk and send them to 
bed.” 

It was a humble cottage with a single room. 
Rushes were spread over the floor. There was 


GILES OF THE STAR 


146 

very little furniture but the firelight cast homelike 
shadows. Outside the rain beat down upon the 
roof. It was so much better to be inside than out 
on such a night. Outside it was cold and every¬ 
thing was drenched with rain; inside it was warm 
and cosy. 

“ I am thankful,’’ thought Giles. Then he 
thought of Anselm and the danger that he was in. 
“ I hope he can get to Richard safely,” was the 
last thing he thought of as he settled down for the 
night. 


CHAPTER XII 


AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 

It is not necessary to go into detail about the 
next two days. Nothing out of the ordinary hap¬ 
pened. The people that they met took them for 
what they pretended to be—simple little waifs on 
their way to relatives farther north. Several times 
they sang for a meal. One night they went to bed 
hungry, that is, Giles went to bed hungry and Mil- 
licent unhappy. There had been a little left over 
from dinner which had been carefully put away 
in Giles’s pouch. At supper-time the boy had 
made a great pretense of fair division, but in real¬ 
ity had given all of the food to Millicent. She did 
not discover this until she had finished eating but 
when she did, the tears came into her eyes. 

“ Oh, why didn’t you keep half?” she almost 
wailed. “ I wouldn’t have eaten it all for the 
world, if I had known.” 

“ Anselm told me to take care of you,” replied 
the boy doggedly. “ There wasn’t really enough 
for even you. Besides, I am a boy and I want to 
be a knight. A knight is never selfish.” 

“ Please divide fairly next time,” she pleaded, 
and she looked so unhappy that Giles promised 

i47 


GILES OF THE STAR 


148 

that, at least, he would divide. He mentally made 
a reservation that he would divide as he saw fit 
and that Millicent should have the larger share. 
As for Millicent, she grieved all the evening. 

“ At all events,” he told her, “ the country peo¬ 
ple say that we shall reach a goodly town to¬ 
morrow, and where there are towns there are tav¬ 
erns and we always get well-fed when we sing 
there.” 

Millicent shivered. “ Every time I open my 
mouth to sing, I shake with the fear that some one 
will recognize me.” 

“ We are a long way from Avalon,” comforted 
Giles. “ I am not afraid that we will be recog¬ 
nized now. Besides, you do not look like the same 
girl that left the castle.” 

The trouble did not leave Millicent’s face, but 
she said nothing. Somehow deep down in her 
heart was an unreasoning dread of the morrow. 
She tried to tell herself that it was all silliness 
and cowardliness, but the feeling persisted. It 
seemed as if some dark cloud hung over the fu¬ 
ture. 

It was nearly noon of the next day when they 
reached the Wild Boar Tavern. Giles carried his 
harp in his hands. The day was bright, and it is 
much easier to be cheerful in the morning when 
the sun is shining than at dusk after a long day’s 
tramp. Even Millicent had lost most of the dread 


AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 


149 

that she had vainly tried to suppress the night 
before. 

The tavern was a shabby, old place, but there 
was quite a crowd of people about it. A fine lady 
in a coach had just ridden up and was alighting as 
the children reached the tavern. She was a pretty 
lady with a plain, dark, crimson dress. Her brown 
hair was arranged in two heavy braids which hung 
over her shoulders. It was evident to Millicent 
that she was a fine lady from some castle. She 
smiled at the two children as she passed. 

“ How pretty she was! ” said Giles with admira¬ 
tion. “ I envied all those knights their splendid 
horses and glittering armor and swords.” 

Meanwhile, the lady was speaking of the chil¬ 
dren to her husband. 

“ Did you notice those two pretty, little musi¬ 
cians?” she asked him. 

“ I only noticed the usual rabble, Constance,” 
replied the knight. 

“ They were unusually fine-looking children for 
waifs,” replied Lady Constance thoughtfully. “ I 
should like to speak with them.” 

“ We’ll get our dinner to-day,” said Giles ex¬ 
ultantly. a We always fare better when there are 
fine folk at the taverns.” He noted the fact that 
there seemed to be quite a crowd there. “ When 
there are many people to entertain, the innkeeper 
is always more generous.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


x 5 ° 

“ We could keep right on making our way along 
by singing if we wanted to do so,” said Millicent 
with some pride. “ Oh, look!” she exclaimed, 
pointing up the road. “ Here comes another troupe 
of minstrels. They have harps as well as you and 
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if those little dogs 
were trained to do tricks. Maybe we won’t get 
our dinner after all.” 

Giles looked rather carelessly at the newcomers. 
He noted that there were several men and women 
and six children of various sizes. A meek-faced 
donkey dragged a small cart which seemed to hold 
all their worldly possessions. They seemed an 
especially ragged and unattractive lot. They were 
very dirty. 

“ I don’t think much of them,” said the boy crit¬ 
ically. “We’ll do our best and not let their com¬ 
ing bother us. I wish that I had a dog, though. 
Look at that splendid, big, shaggy fellow! ” 

Something had dropped from the cart, un¬ 
noticed by all except the dog. He had picked it up 
and brought it to his master who had rewarded 
him with a rebuke and a cut of the whip. 

“The brute!” exclaimed Giles, white with in¬ 
dignation. He took one step forward to reprove 
him, but Millicent’s hand on his arm restrained 
him. He had no right to endanger her safety by 
getting mixed up in a quarrel. 

“ I think that our singing will appeal to them 


AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 151 

more than anything that rabble can do,” whispered 
Giles. 

So it proved. Giles’s wit, the music of his harp, 
and the sweet, fresh, little voice of the Lady Milli- 
cent went right to their listeners’ hearts. Even 
the tall knight that Giles had admired so when 
he had ridden up smiled in approval, and the fine 
lady in crimson patted Millicent’s cheek. 

“ Where are you going, my child?” she asked 
kindly. “You are too sweet a child to be sub¬ 
jected to the dangers of the road.” 

“ We are going to friends farther north,” re¬ 
plied Millicent. 

“ We came from that direction,” said the lovely 
lady kindly. “ I think that if we were returning 
that way I should take you along with us.” 

“ Why did you say such a thing as that? ” asked 
her husband later. “ Has the pretty little singer 
turned your head? ” 

“ I do not know,” replied Lady Constance. 
11 Somehow that boy reminds me of some one, I 
cannot think who. The little lass was a sweet 
little girl. They are vastly different from such 
as these.” She waved a disdainful hand toward 
the ragged little group that was trying to attract 
her attention and retired to her apartment, her 
husband accompanying her. 

The innkeeper set out a good dinner for the 
children and they ate heartily, not noticing the 


GILES OF THE STAR 


152 

black looks that were being cast upon them by the 
other entertainers, who had not fared as well. 
Neither did they notice that the burly man with 
the black whiskers, who seemed to own the other 
troupe, was in earnest consultation with his rather 
thin, sad-faced wife in one corner, or that they 
were casting meaningful glances at them. 

Giles was perfectly absorbed in the big, shaggy 
dog. He seemed to understand every word that 
was spoken to him. 

“ If we could get hold of those two,” Rod was 
saying to his wife. “ They would turn up a pretty 
penny for us.” 

“ They seem to be traveling alone,” replied his 
wife. “You will not have much trouble with 
them if you are careful.” 

“We’ll get them after they leave the tavern,” 
replied Rod. “ Let them get out into the open 
country where no one will hear their yells and we 
can take them forcibly, or we could take them here 
saying that you are their mother from whom they 
ran away.” 

“ The first plan is better,” decided Lize. “ I 
think I can get them to travel in our company if 
we pretend to be going their way and, once in our 
hands, they will never escape.” 

“ I’ll let you do the talking,” grinned Rod. 
“ You’ve a tongue as smooth as butter. I’ll do the 
beating, if need be. That young fellow holds his 


AN UNEXPECTED EVENT 


153 

head too high. He would be better for a sound 
drubbing.” 

Meanwhile, Giles and Millicent ate a hearty 
meal, unaware that any plot was being made to 
injure them or to prevent them from carrying out 
Anselm’s orders. Giles had the two precious pack¬ 
ets tucked safely away in his ragged smock. He 
would not feel easy in his mind until he had 
turned over the smaller one to the Lady Constance, 
Millicent’s aunt. 

“ How far is it to Lichester? ” asked Giles turn¬ 
ing to the burly, yet jolly innkeeper. 

“ It is a good two days’ walk for a strong man,” 
replied the innkeeper, “ going due north. We 
have fine guests at the inn now that came from 
Lichester way. They are one of the finest old 
families in all England. Why, the Lady-” 

There was a great shout from the yard which 
interrupted his sentence and brought them all to 
the door. There were the tall knight and his 
lovely lady, the jolly-faced innkeeper, the ragged 
singers, and Giles and Millicent. An exhausted 
rider on a jaded, foam-flecked horse drew up be¬ 
fore the tavern. The tall knight, recognizing the 
rider as one of his own knights, strode to the horse’s 
side. 

“ What is it, Arnold? ” he asked sternly. 

“John is definitely hindering those engaged in 
collecting ransom money for the king,” he said. 



GILES OF THE STAR 


154 

“ Two of the messengers have been put to death 
by men who seemed to be outlaws. One of these 
outlaws escaped, but one fell into the hands of our 
band. He was one of John’s men, disguised as an 
outlaw. Under torture, he confessed that John is 
at the bottom of this plan to prevent ransom being 
collected for Richard.” 

“ Heaven help England if Richard is not 
brought back to his kingdom,” said the tall knight 
heavily. 

“ And heaven have mercy upon the Lady Milli- 
cent and Avalon as well,” said Giles to himself. 


CHAPTER XIII 

AN ENEMY'S WISH COMES TRUE 

The knights pledged to gather funds for the 
ransom were in grave danger. Two of them had 
been already killed. Anselm himself was going 
to take part in that dangerous mission, if he had 
not already started. This was the burden of Giles’s 
thoughts as they silently trudged along the dry, 
dusty road that led north. If King Richard was 
not rescued from the hateful German prison, there 
would be no prospect of the Lady Millicent’s re¬ 
gaining her castle, for Alford would win John’s 
support with promises and gifts of silver and fight¬ 
ing men. John would gain nothing by befriending 
Millicent, and the fact that her cause was right 
would have no influence with such a man as he. 
Giles determined to say nothing of his gloomy 
thoughts to Millicent for there was no sense in 
worrying her unnecessarily, but Millicent had a 
very good head of her own. 

“ I guess that I shall lose my castle after all,” 
she said thoughtfully. 

“ We will carry out Anselm’s plan just the 
same,” said Giles. 

Neither Giles nor Millicent noticed that they 

155 


GILES OF THE STAR 


156 

were being followed by Rod’s troupe. Perhaps 
this was because Rod took particular pains not to 
be seen. He and Lize did not want to catch up 
with the children while they were near houses. 
They wanted a lonely, secluded spot where no 
outcry would be heard, in case Giles or Millicent 
objected to being added to their troupe. Giles and 
Millicent were also on the lookout for a remote 
place where they might stay for the night. 

It was well toward night when they finally 
reached open country. Giles and Millicent were 
busy preparing their evening meal when Rod and 
Lize caught up with them. The rest of the troupe, 
with the exception of one or two dogs, had re¬ 
mained out of sight around the bend of the road. 
As had been arranged, Lize did all of the talking. 
Both Giles and Millicent agreed that she was a 
pleasant-speaking woman. She showed Millicent 
one of the trained dogs which she had not seen at 
the tavern. It was a tiny dog covered with silky, 
white curls. 

Soon they were talking away like old friends. 
Millicent went into raptures over Lize’s baby 
which was done up in a shawl and bound to her 
back. He was a thin, dark-eyed little fellow with 
long, slender fingers. He would be beautiful if 
he were a wee bit fatter. Lize obligingly let Mil¬ 
licent take the little fellow in her arms. She had 
never held a baby before. She smiled, even when 


A WISH GOMES TRUE 157 

the little hand tangled itself in her curls and 
pulled hard. 

“ He’s taken a fancy to you, dearie,” said the 
woman, patting Millicent on the head, “ but how 
could he help it, such a nice, sweet, little lady as 
you are. Tell me, my love, where are you going 
all alone by yourselves? Your brother is a rare 
young one to be on the road without an older per¬ 
son with him. I can see that you have been well 
cared for by the fatness of you.” 

“We are going to friends,” replied Millicent. 
“ Our mother is dead.” 

“ You poor lamb,” sympathized Lize, and she 
and her husband exchanged glances of satisfac¬ 
tion. “Where did you say these friends lived?” 

“ Near Lichester,” said Giles rather shortly. 
He disliked talking with strangers. He especially 
disliked talking about his plans. 

“Lichester!” exclaimed the woman. “Why, 
that is where we are going! I dread the trip 
through the forest.” 

“ Forest? ” asked Giles. 

“ Yes,” replied Lize. “ I went through it once. 
We were chased by outlaws. Our donkey and eve¬ 
rything of any value that we possessed was taken 
from us and my poor husband was beaten black 
and blue. It seemed as if every tree in the forest 
hid an outlaw. I shudder whenever I think of it.” 
Millicent shivered. She was naturally timid. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


158 

“ You had never planned to go through the for¬ 
est alone? ” exclaimed Lize in horror. “ Why, you 
would never reach the other side in safety! ” 

“ You’d better come along with us,” put in Rod. 
“ There is quite a troupe of us, so no one will 
molest us. We are going to Lichester, too.” 

Giles and Millicent exchanged glances. Lize’s 
story had badly frightened Millicent. 

“ Let us go along with them as they have been 
so kind as to ask us,” she pleaded. 

Giles agreed half reluctantly. Somehow the 
plan did not please him. He could not tell why. 
Perhaps it was because he had seen Rod cuff that 
wonderful, shaggy dog. However, if the way was 
really dangerous it would be much safer to travel 
in company. He thought it would be easy to slip 
away from their new friends when they neared 
Lichester. 

Soon the rest of the troupe came up. There 
were several children in it. They seemed shy and 
wild. Neither Millicent nor Giles could get them 
to talk. 

Somehow, after they joined the troupe, they did 
not make such good time as they had before. Lize 
complained that it was hard to walk fast with a 
heavy baby. Giles grew impatient. Now that 
they were so far from Avalon he felt that there 
would be no danger from Alford. He wanted 
to reach the safe shelter and give Millicent over to 


A WISH GOMES TRUE 


i 59 

the kind hands of Lady Constance. How surprised 
he would be to know that the Lady Constance had 
seen them, that it had been she in the crimson 
gown. She had stroked Millicent’s cheek. How 
much trouble would have been avoided if the inn¬ 
keeper had only finished his sentence and had told 
Giles who the fine knight from Lichester and the 
lovely lady were. 

Another thing troubled the boy. They had left 
the road that ran due north and had turned into 
country byways. It was true that Rod had said that 
he knew a way which was a trifle longer than the 
other but which avoided the dangerous forest, but 
the innkeeper had said that two days of walking 
would bring them to Lichester and they were on 
the third day. It was so dark with clouds that for 
two days Giles could not tell the direction by the 
sun. 

He became suspicious. Rod’s pleasantness was 
beginning to wear thin. Twice he spoke sharply 
to Giles and once to Millicent. 

“ I’m going to find the way back,” said Giles 
wrathfully. “ I think I did wrong to come this 
way. We should have stuck by the road we knew.” 

“ But the forest and the outlaws,” said Milli¬ 
cent. Lize’s story had frightened her badly. 

“ They would find nothing worth the taking 
on us,” replied Giles. " I am not going to put up 
with Rod any longer.” 


160 GILES OF THE STAR 

“ I don’t like Lize as well as I did,” replied 
Millicent. “ She scolded me last night for refus¬ 
ing to carry little Rod any farther. I love little 
Rod, but my back was nearly broken.” 

“ She had no right to scold you, though. You do 
not belong to her. We will not stay with them any 
longer. I am going back.” 

There was a crackling of the bushes behind 
them, and out stepped Rod. In his hand was the 
long, snake-like, dog whip. He grasped Giles’s 
arm and shook him until his teeth rattled. Milli¬ 
cent screamed. 

“ Stop that noise,” cried the man taking her by 
the arm, “ and listen to me. You are going to stay 
here with us. You are going to sing for us. If you 
try to escape the dogs will give us warning and you 
both will be thrashed within an inch of your 
lives.” 

“ We will not work for you,” cried Giles. “ You 
have no right to us.” 

The long whip curled out and fell upon the 
boy’s shoulder which was poorly protected by his 
peasant smock. It was the first time that Giles had 
ever been struck. For a moment he stood rigid, 
white with passion. Millicent again screamed. 

It was her scream that brought the boy back to 
himself. He had been furious, ready to turn on 
Rod with tooth and nail, but he must control his 
wrath for her sake. His strength could never pre- 



There was a crackling of the bushes behind them, and 

OUT STEPPED Rod.—P age 160 . 







A WISH COMES TRUE 161 

vail over Rod’s. It was childish to think it would, 
for Rod was a burly man. Millicent, too, seemed 
to realize that apparent submission was their wiser 
course for she put out her hand and touched the 
whip. 

“ We will do what you want us to,” she said. 
“ Please do not strike again.” 

Rod looked from her to the white-faced Giles. 

“ Do you agree to that? ” he growled. 

“ We will play and sing for you,” replied Giles 
steadily. 

It seemed a strange twist of fate. The very 
thing that Lord Alford had planned for his niece 
had become a reality. She was a prisoner in the 
hands of outlaws, for Rod and his wandering tribe 
were no better than thieving rogues. However, 
Giles was with her, watching over her and doing 
all in his power to make things easier and always 
on the watch for a chance to escape. 

Rod and Lize, however, were as clever as they 
were wicked. Rarely did Giles and Millicent get 
a chance to talk privately. On one occasion Mil¬ 
licent whispered, “ We must make it seem as if 
we liked this kind of a life. We’ll never get a 
chance to escape if they think we are trying.” 

Giles agreed. “ It is going to be hard to pre¬ 
tend a liking that I do not feel,” he said gloomily. 
“ I can’t lie about it for knights never lie.” Some^ 
how knighthood seemed very far away since they 


GILES OF THE STAR 


162 

had been forcibly added to the troupe. “ We 
live like animals that have to snatch their food. I 
hate it.” 

“ I love little Rod,” replied Millicent. “ I’m 
going to begin with him. Lize loves him, too, and 
when she sees that I do, I think she will like me 
better. I am going to try as hard as I can to make 
her love me. I’ll help her cheerfully.” 

“ I like the dogs,” said Giles thoughtfully. 
“ Already they obey me better than any one else, 
for they obey me because they love me and want 
to please me, and they obey the others through 
fear. I think Shag would do anything I wanted 
him to. Perhaps I can help train them. Rod 
said that he would have me showing off the dogs.” 

“ We mustn’t change all at once,” warned Milli¬ 
cent. “ Look, here come Rod and Sal! ” 

Rod carried a bag over his shoulder. Sal, a girl 
perhaps as old as Millicent, was wearing Milli- 
cent’s dress. Lize had made Millicent exchange 
her own pretty but simple dress for her own 
daughter’s rags. The man pulled two puppies 
out of the bag and handed them to Giles. 

“You have a way with the critters,” he said. 
“ See what you can do with these.” 

Before his conversation with Millicent, Giles 
would not have allowed himself to show his pleas¬ 
ure in the pretty little creatures, but now he looked 
at things differently. 


A WISH COMES TRUE 163 

“Oh, I like them! I’ll train them,” he ex¬ 
claimed, joyfully hugging both puppies until they 
yelped. “ Thank you for letting me do it.” 

Rod grunted rather ungraciously, but that night 
he told Lize that, given time, both children would 
settle down contentedly enough. 

That evening marked a decided change in the 
attitude of both boy and girl to their new order 
of living. Millicent relieved the tired Lize of 
much of the care of little Rod. That night while 
Lize was concocting a savory stew of material that 
Rod brought home after a successful raid, Milli¬ 
cent entertained baby Rod. He was a pretty baby 
with great, dark eyes and cunning fingers that 
would be dimpled if they were not so thin. Milli¬ 
cent pat-a-caked with him to his heart’s content. 
When he was tired of play, she sang him to sleep 
with the little lullaby that Nanny had so often 
sung to her. 

How long ago it seemed since she was a child of 
a castle, petted and deferred to in all cases! How 
long it seemed since she had bidden her Uncle 
Anselm good-by! It seemed like the life of a dif¬ 
ferent child and yet it turned out to be not as dis¬ 
agreeable as she had feared. Lize and Rod were 
easy-going as long as things went smoothly, and 
both Giles and Millicent took pains to see that 
things did go smoothly. 

“ Do you know,” confided Millicent one night, 


GILES OF THE STAR 


164 

“ I really do believe that I am getting to like this 
life after all. That was a pretty good stew I made, 
now wasn’t it? ” 

Giles agreed that it was. He added that he had 
never tasted a better stew in all his life. 

As time went on, Rod and Lize kept a more neg¬ 
ligent watch upon them. They often had chances 
to talk together. Neither cared particularly for 
the other children in the troupe, nor did the chil¬ 
dren care for them. Wherever Giles went he was 
surrounded by the dogs. He taught them several 
new tricks. The puppies that Rod had stolen were 
clever and learned quickly. One seemed partic¬ 
ularly fond of Giles, but the other loved Millicent. 

Nearly a month passed by. It was now midsum¬ 
mer, and camping along the roadside was pleasant. 
Neither Giles nor Millicent had any notion of 
where they were. Both had lost all sense of direc¬ 
tion. They had stopped at many taverns and mar¬ 
ket-places. They were not the higher class of 
singers that amused the knights at castles. They 
earned or stole from the humbler folk of the coun¬ 
tryside. 

Rod and Lize were well satisfied with the suc¬ 
cess of their plan. People seemed to enjoy the 
pretty little singers. 

“ Who would have thought they would have set¬ 
tled down so comfortably? ” said Lize to Rod. 
“ They have not tried to escape once. I was afraid 


A WISH COMES TRUE 165 

the boy had a strong will and would make much 
trouble.” 

“ Oh, a touch or two of the whip,” replied Rod. 
“ It will bring a boy around every time.” 

And, meanwhile, Giles said nothing. He 
trained the dogs, helped Rod cheerfully, and was 
on the watch every moment for a chance of escape. 
So it went along until one evening Giles heard 
Rod say to Lize, “ Next comes Spafford and then 
Avalon.” 


CHAPTER XIV 


GUILBERT 

SPAFFORD and Avalon! A fear clutched at the 
boy’s heart for the Lady Millicent was being taken 
back into the very heart of the danger from which 
she had run. He must devise some means of es¬ 
cape and do it quickly, for they would be recog¬ 
nized at Avalon. Even if the little lady of the 
castle did look very different from the tattered, 
dark-haired, Gypsy child, he was the same Giles, 
and he was well-known at the tavern. Moreover, 
the whole countryside knew by this time that it was 
Anselm that had taken Lady Millicent of Avalon. 
He was as well-known as the boy who made his 
home with him. If they escaped detection it 
would be only by a miracle. 

If Richard were really dead there would be 
practically no danger, for Alford was John’s 
friend, but Richard was not dead. He was alive, 
and every day the amount of money being col¬ 
lected for his ransom was growing. England was 
loyal to her rightful king and, in spite of the dis¬ 
loyalty of John, was determined to save him. Al¬ 
ford, a well-known traitor to Richard, would stand 
little chance if Millicent was alive. With her out 

of the way, he was the heir to Avalon. Black fear 

166 


GUILBERT 167 

was in Giles’s heart as the thoughts of her capture 
flashed into his mind. 

There was no chance of escape at night, for 
the dogs would be sure to betray them. For a mo¬ 
ment he thought of telling Rod that Avalon was 
their home but, knowing that he would soon hear 
the story of the lost Millicent, was afraid that he 
might guess who the child he had captured really 
was. In that case he might be tempted to sell her 
into Lord Alford’s hands. It was a thoughtful 
boy who lay awake looking at the stars when the 
rest of the camp were asleep. 

He did not tell Millicent of their plight, for he 
did not want to frighten her until it was necessary. 
She noticed his gloom but laid it to another cause. 
The night before his discovery Giles had had an 
argument with Rod, which led to his being beaten. 
The boy had refused to steal the ingredients of a 
stew for the evening meal. To live up to the high 
standard of knighthood and still be a wandering 
minstrel in the hands of unscrupulous vagrants 
often proved difficult. Even a true knight placed 
in such circumstances would have found it next to 
impossible to live up to his high ideals. There¬ 
fore, when the curling whip smote upon his bared 
back, he had gritted his teeth together, winked back 
the angry tears that wanted to come to his eyes, 
and had borne it without a whimper. It was Milli¬ 
cent who had shed tears over it, and her heart had 


168 GILES OF THE STAR 

been filled to the brim with sorrow for him and 
anger for Rod. She thought it not to be wondered 
at that Giles should be less talkative than usual. 

As for Giles, he had lain down upon his bed of 
hay that night with a very sore back, yet with a 
rather exalted feeling of having proved that he 
could suffer for the right. 

Because the sore back kept him awake longer 
than usual he had heard what Rod said about go¬ 
ing to Avalon. It had given him much to think 
about. Thinking, however, did not seem to bring 
good results and, after much turning and twisting, 
he had at last dropped off to sleep. 

There was no chance of escape the next morn¬ 
ing. Although Rod and Lize had slacked their 
vigilance, it would be impossible to evade the dogs. 
They followed Giles continuously, with noisy show 
of affection. He could hardly stir without one of 
them at his heels, begging for a caress. Rod had 
trained them by fear. Giles loved them. His was 
the first tender hand that had touched them, and 
they loved him with a love that exceeded all 
bounds. 

Late that afternoon they entered Spafford, the 
town Giles and Millicent had avoided on their 
way north. It was not until she saw the town that 
Millicent discovered where she was. As the mean¬ 
ing of it reached her a look of blank dismay, fol¬ 
lowed by terror, came into her eyes. It was fortu- 


GUILBERT 169 

nate that none of the others saw the look. Giles 
laid a strong hand on her wrist. 

“ Keep your eyes open, and stay close to me! ” he 
whispered. 

Both children took pains to keep close to the 
other singers. They were anxious to escape all 
notice for as long as possible, but both knew that 
when they got up to perform before the men-at- 
arms at the tavern it would be a dangerous mo¬ 
ment. 

Time seemed both to drag and to fly by on 
wings. Giles turned over many plans. He consid¬ 
ered telling Rod part of the danger. He thought 
of pretending to be very sick, unable to take part in 
the night’s performance. He knew, however, that 
Rod would have no patience or pity and would 
force him to put the dogs through their tricks. 

“ Tumble your hair about your eyes,” he cau¬ 
tioned, “ and keep your face hidden as much as you 
can.” 

All too soon they reached the market-place. It 
put Rod into excellent spirits to see that there was 
quite a crowd about town. He decided that the 
market-place would be the best place for the per¬ 
formance. 

Rod opened the affair with a juggling trick. 
It consisted of the clever handling of half a dozen 
eggs. The eggs were hard boiled, but the audience 
did not know that. Four or five were in the air at 


GILES OF THE STAR 


170 

the same time. The delighted audience gasped at 
the quick turn of his wrist. 

Meanwhile, Giles and Millicent scanned the 
faces of the crowd, hoping that they would not see 
any one who would recognize them. Of course, 
their biggest danger would come when they 
reached Avalon, but Spafford was not far away 
and, as it had been more than barely possible that 
the news of Millicent’s capture had reached the 
town, it was quite likely that some one would 
recognize Giles in the crowd. The egg play was 
followed by one more difficult, with two short 
swords. 

After Rod brought his juggling to a close it was 
Millicent’s turn. Her sweet little voice went up, 
up, up like a bird’s. It was difficult for her to 
keep the quaver of fear out of it, but she did very 
well. Giles and the dogs would come next. Just 
as the boy stepped out into the open space a new 
group joined the audience. They were men-at- 
arms. Giles did not notice them at first. 

He was busy keeping his eye on four dogs at 
once. The dogs obeyed him perfectly, going 
through their tricks with a sprightly grace that 
delighted the audience. The newcomers pushed 
their way through the crowd that surrounded the 
troupe to see what it was that was attracting so 
much attention. As the last dog ran to his place 
under the cart, Giles looked up. There, not more 


GUILBERT 


171 

than a dozen feet from him, regarding him with 
amazed recognition was Guilbert, his enemy, An¬ 
selm’s enemy, and Millicent’s enemy. 

For a moment the two stood like statues. Fear, 
white-faced despairing terror, looked out of Giles’s 
eyes, but it was not fear of what might happen to 
him. Lady Millicent of Avalon was in danger. 
It was his duty to protect her, but he did not know 
what to do. 

Before the boy had time to decide what would 
be the best thing to do, the man’s great hand 
gripped his shoulder. There was savage triumph 
upon his face. 

“I have you at last,” he gloated. “Now you 
will tell me what you have done with the Lady of 
Avalon.” His voice was savage, although it was 
a whisper. Giles writhed in his grasp and tried 
in vain to escape. There was no one who would 
help him, no one whom he might trust. 

He was mistaken there. Rod had no idea of 
letting Giles slip through his fingers. What he 
had taken he meant to keep. Hastily ordering 
Lize to get out of the crowd with the dogs and 
children, he pushed his way to where Giles was 
standing with Guilbert. There had been no scene. 
Guilbert’s whispered menace was heard by Giles 
alone. The boy had made no outcry. 

Neither saw Rod’s approach. With a swift mo¬ 
tion he disengaged the man’s hand upon the boy’s 


GILES OF THE STAR 


172 

shoulder and, at the same moment, tripped him. 
Guilbert fell heavily. His heavy armor made ris¬ 
ing difficult. Giles and Rod slipped into the 
crowd like two shadows. By the time the highly 
angered Guilbert regained his footing, they were 
at a safe distance from him. 

Rod and Giles did not run away from the place. 
It would have made them too conspicuous. Rapid 
walking and some dodging soon brought them 
away from the place of danger. 

“ Why was he after you? ” asked Rod abruptly, 
as they drew near to the caravan. Giles had been 
expecting some such question and had been turn¬ 
ing over in his mind all of the possible answers he 
might make, yet for a moment he hesitated. 

“ We used to live near here,” he replied. 

Rod took hold of the boy’s arm with so tight a 
grasp that it hurt. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “So 
that is your game. That is what you wanted, to 
have your armor-clad friend rescue you. Well, he 
will do well if he gets you out of my grasp. What 
I have, I hold.” 

While he talked Giles thought, and thought 
hard. Perhaps it was just as well to have Rod 
think that Guilbert was trying to rescue him. It 
was evident that Rod had no thought of letting 
Guilbert take him. He would protect the children 
to the best of his ability. 

“You will not be able to keep us,” the boy re- 


/ 


GUILBERT 


173 

plied. “ That man has friends who are also men- 
at-arms. They will help him get me back. I 
would not be surprised if they came riding after 
us this very night. They may wait until night and. 
come upon you then.” 

“We’ll be ready for them,” boasted Rod, but 
Giles noted with satisfaction that he seemed trou¬ 
bled at the prospect. 

As soon as they reached the others Lize and Rod 
had a long conversation together. They talked 
in low tones, looking about them furtively. Mean¬ 
while Giles and Millicent talked in low tones and 
looked about them fearfully. Millicent had been 
crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. 

“ I was afraid that I should never see you,” she 
whispered. “ When I saw Guilbert take hold of 
you, it took away all the strength I had. Oh, 
Giles, Giles, what is going to happen to us?” 

The boy shook his head. “ I don’t know,” he 
replied miserably. “ We’ve just got to wait.” 

They did not have to wait long for, after a few 
minutes’ earnest conversation with his wife, Rod 
came to them. 

“ Come! ” he said curtly. 

“Where to?” asked Giles, holding back. 

The man’s only answer was an oath, followed by 
a savage jerk. That he was troubled, Giles could 
easily see. At all events he was trying to keep 
them from Guilbert and Alford, which was what 


GILES OF THE STAR 


i 74 

Giles wanted. In silence the man led them 
through the gathering dusk, casting furtive glances 
about him as he went. 

“ Fortunate,” he remarked softly, “ that it hap¬ 
pened here, for well I know the countryside.” 

After a good half-hour walk, they came to an 
old barn. Without saying a word, Rod threw open 
the door and thrust them within. Millicent shrank 
back in terror. 

“ Oh, don’t leave us in this horrid place,” she 
wailed, terrified at the gloom of the strange barn 
and forgetting that this might turn into a chance 
for escape. 

“Hush!” said Rod savagely. “Do you think 
that I am going to have you rescued by friends in 
the locality? No, my pretty little singers, what 
Rod has, Rod holds.” 

“ Until it is taken,” said a low voice near by, 
from the depths of the barn. All three whirled 
toward the invisible speaker. Rod’s grasp on 
Giles’s arm tightened. It was fairly uncanny to 
hear speech from so deserted a locality. 

“Who are you?” asked Rod quaveringly. He 
had a wholesome fear for ghosts and the low hol¬ 
low tone had seemed to him to hold nothing that 
was human in it. A low cry, rising into a shriek 
so unearthly as to make the hair on Rod’s head 
tingle, was the only answer for a moment. Milli¬ 
cent was crying and, as for Giles, he was tense with 


GUILBERT 


1 75 

excitement. From out the barn stepped a tall, 
mail-coated figure. The faint, lingering light of 
the west made a menacing gleam on casque helmet 
and shield. It flashed upon the long sword in the 
mailed hand. The other hand dropped the shield 
and grasped the frightened Rod. With a swift, 
strong push of the arm the unhappy man was 
thrust into the barn. Then came the clang of the 
door and the grating of the rusty bolt as it swung 
into place. Giles and Millicent, too terrified and 
surprised to move from their places, gazed with 
awe at the tall figure beside them. 

“ Giles, Giles,” spoke the voice again. 11 Do you 
not know me, lad? ” 

For answer Giles flung himself against the tall 
figure that had held him so often. “ Anselm! Oh, 
Anselm! ” was all that he could say. 


CHAPTER XV 


THE ESCAPE 

Explanations quickly followed. Anselm’s sud¬ 
den appearance seemed almost like magic. 

“ I was in the market-place this afternoon,” he 
told them. “ I saw Guilbert and his attack upon 
you. Had not the Gypsy come to help you I should 
have done so, but it was far better that this fellow 
should help you for, if I should again be mixed 
up in a quarrel with Guilbert, it would mean 
another fight, and the whole street was filled with 
his friends.” 

“ How did it happen that you were in Spaf- 
ford? ” asked Millicent. “ I thought that you were 
going to collect money for the king.” 

“ Besides,” went on Giles, “ Avalon is so close I 
should think you would be afraid to come here.” 

“ It is true that I have been with others collect¬ 
ing money for our good king,” went on Anselm, 
“ but, in going from castle to castle, I drew near 
the place where I was born and, in spite of the 
ancient quarrel between my brother and me, I de¬ 
cided to put pride in my pocket and go to him, 
partly because I knew that he would help in res¬ 
cuing the king, and partly to see whether you had 
safely reached Lichester. You can imagine my 

176 


THE ESCAPE 


177 

grief when I found that neither Lady Constance 
nor Lord Sibert, my brother, had seen you. It is 
enough to say that Sibert and I made up our quar¬ 
rel and now are friends, and that at once I set out 
to find you. I have been on the road for weeks, 
and I know that Lord Alford is on the search for 
you as well.” 

“ We must move quickly to get away from him, 
for Guilbert will start a search,” said Giles with a 
nervous glance behind him. “ Hark! ” he ex¬ 
claimed. “ I hear footsteps.” 

For a moment they stood motionless, listening 
intently. The sound came closer, but it did not 
sound like the footsteps of a man. Then came a 
soft whine. A shaggy form leaped upon the boy. 
Giles’s arms closed about his friend. 

“ It’s Shag!” he exclaimed joyfully. “ He has 
tracked our footsteps.” Anselm fondled the faith¬ 
ful dog. Giles was delighted that dog and man 
liked each other from the very first. 

“ How long have you been looking for us? ” 
asked Millicent, slipping her small hand into her 
uncle’s big one. 

“ For over a week,” he replied gravely. “ My 
work in collecting money for the king’s ransom 
took me to Lichester on my way beyond. My 
brother told me that he and Lady Constance had 
been away at the time you might have reached 
Lichester. It seems that there is trouble between 


GILES OF THE STAR 


178 

him and one of his neighbors which he expects to 
come to a head soon. He wanted to visit the castle 
of a friend, partly to get help from him and partly 
to get one of his sons, who has been a page at his 
friend’s castle. Finding that in some way our 
plans had come to naught, I, at once, started back 
to Avalon, fearing that you had fallen into the 
hands of Alford. To-night I saw you at the 
market-place in Spafford.” 

“ What are we going to do? ” asked Giles. 

“ There is only one thing to do,” replied Anselm. 
“ We must go to Lichester.” 

They walked a long way that night. It made 
Millicent think of the other night of secret travel 
the three had made, over a month before. Then 
she had been so tired and exhausted that she had 
hardly been able to keep up to the others, but her 
life among the Gypsies had done much to 
strengthen and harden her to travel on foot. It 
was wonderful to have Anselm’s strength to rely 
on. Her heart was filled with relief at their escape 
from the Gypsies. 

Giles was downcast for, although he had been 
perfectly delighted to see Anselm and a huge load 
of responsibility had rolled off his shoulders, when 
he discovered the identity of the tall armor-clad 
figure at the barn, another kind of weight lay upon 
his heart. He felt that he had failed, that he had 
not carried through the trust imposed upon him. 


THE ESCAPE 


179 

Much later, when they had stopped to rest, Milli- 
cent fell asleep almost immediately, but trouble 
kept Giles wakeful. 

Anselm leaned up against a tree, after removing 
as much of his armor as possible. The boy’s head 
rested upon the man’s arm. 

“ I have failed in my trust,” he said, in a low 
voice. 

The man’s hand was laid over the boy’s. 

“ Did you open the packet? ” he asked sternly. 
Giles looked at him with reproach, although in the 
darkness the man could not see the look. 

“No,” he replied, touching his ragged blouse. 
“ It is here. Rod made Millicent give up her dress 
for his own girl, but my smock was old in the first 
place, so he left it with me. It is not that.” 

“ How, then, did you fail in your trust? ” 

Giles’s voice broke. “ I did not get Lady Milli¬ 
cent to Lady Constance,” he replied. “ I tried to 
do a knightly thing and I failed.” He dropped his 
head and burrowed it into Anselm’s arm. 

“ Lad, dear lad, you did your best. Do I not 
know what it means to seem to fail? You would 
have given your life for Lady Millicent if it would 
have done any good. Twelve years ago I would 
have given my life to prevent the murder of my 
sister’s husband, the Lady Millicent’s father, but 
it was to no avail. I could not save him. I was 
wounded and left for dead in the attempt. All I 


i8o GILES OF THE STAR 

could do was to prevent the wicked Alford from 
reaping the benefits for which he did the deed. I 
did my best, and you did yours. We must both 
rise from our defeat and face the new conditions. 
Crushed to earth, we must arise.” 

“Would you trust me again?” breathed Giles. 

“ With my life,” answered Anselm. 

The boy drew a long sigh of relief. He had 
failed, but it was not through cowardice or lack of 
effort. Till now he had known but one interpreta¬ 
tion of the word failure. He might still have a 
chance to prove himself worthy of knighthood, al¬ 
though knighthood might never be awarded him. 

“ I will be true,” he whispered to himself and 
then, being a true healthy boy, tired from the ex¬ 
citement of the day with its danger and long, 
fatiguing trip, he turned over and was soon fast 
asleep. 

The next two or three days passed quickly and 
without incident. By keeping to the byways, and 
traveling largely by night and very early morn¬ 
ing, they rapidly lessened the distance between 
themselves and their destination. Their course had 
been a broken one, for Anselm wanted to leave no 
trail which could be followed by an enemy. The 
fact that Shag had followed and found them, be¬ 
cause he could not bear to be parted from his 
master, was fortunate. What Shag had done for 
love, any of the other dogs might do at the bidding 


THE ESCAPE 181 

of Rod. Therefore, the scent must be broken so 
that no dog could follow it. 

This they did by walking or rather wading up a 
small brook for several hundred feet, and by con¬ 
tinuing their way in the hot, dry sand of the road¬ 
bed. As the hours passed, with no reason for 
alarm, their spirits rose. Soon they would reach 
Lichester. 


CHAPTER XVI 


LICH ESTER 

It was late in the afternoon of the third day that 
the tower-crowned castle of Lichester came into 
sight. Giles’s heart beat high at the sight of its 
huge bulk, outlined against the evening sky. Here 
he would get his chance to prove himself worthy 
of knighthood. Here he would meet other boys 
who would be his companions in deeds of valor. 

“ How can a boy, who is only a page, show him¬ 
self to have a knightly heart? ” he asked Anselm. 

“ By doing the duty that lies nearest him faith¬ 
fully, cost what it may,” replied the man at his 
side. 

“ What a fine, large castle it is,” said the boy 
enthusiastically. “ I can see the moat of water 
about it, but I miss the hill. A castle should be 
built on a hill, so that all the world can look up 
to it and to all the bravery it contains. I like the 
looks of Lichester Castle, but it is not so fine as 
Avalon.” 

“ No,” repeated Millicent sadly, u it is not so 
fine as Avalon.” 

For some time they walked on toward Lichester. 
Anselm was sure that they could reach the castle 
before nightfall, if they walked rapidly. He was 

182 


LICHESTER 


183 

glad the long, hard trip was so nearly over. He 
would not be satisfied until both Giles and Milli- 
cent were safely turned over to Lord Sibert and 
the lovely Lady Constance. 

Giles was silent, thinking with eager anticipa¬ 
tion of the fine things he would see. He was build¬ 
ing up in his mind occasions by which he might 
win glory and honor. Perhaps he could save Lord 
Sibert’s life by hurling himself in front of an 
enemy’s spear. He might rescue the Lady Con¬ 
stance from a band of outlaws. It was a pleasant 
thought, and he smiled as he swung along toward 
his castle of dreams. 

Millicent, only, dreaded to reach Lichester. 
The journey had been very pleasant to her since 
Anselm had snatched them out of the hands of 
the outlaws. She had lost her castle. Richard 
was gone. John was sure to reward Alford’s 
loyalty to himself by giving to him the fine, old 
castle. He would make Alford Duke of Avalon. 
She did not want to go before Lady Constance 
dressed in the rags she was wearing. She felt sure 
that the close friendship which had grown up be¬ 
tween Giles and herself would be lost when she 
was turned over to the Lady Constance, and he was 
made a page. She would have to learn how to 
make fine stitches upon tapestry, and would be shut 
away from all the adventures that Giles and An¬ 
selm would be having. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


184 

It would be much more fun, she thought, if she 
and Giles and Anselm could live in a hut in the 
forest. They could hunt, and she would keep the 
house sweet and clean for them. When they came 
home, tired and hungry, she would have a delicious 
stew waiting for them. That would be much more 
pleasant than going before a disdainful group of 
fine ladies, dressed in a ragged gown that was 
stained with days of travel. No, Millicent was 
sorry that they were so near the end of their jour¬ 
ney. 

It was still light when they passed through the 
little town of Lichester. The peasants came from 
their pretty, thatched cottages and stared at the 
strangers. They wondered why a knight of so 
noble a bearing as Anselm should have anything 
to do with two ragged, little beggars. 

Through the one street of Lichester they went. 
Anselm, rejoicing that they were nearing their 
destination, unconsciously quickened his pace. 
Giles, spurred on by excitement, did likewise. It 
seemed to Millicent that they had never before 
gone so fast. She tried to keep up with them, but 
her heart was not in it. At last Anselm noticed 
her dejection, and questioned her. She could not 
put her doubts into words so she merely said that 
she was very tired. 

After that they walked more slowly. The castle, 
they discovered, was farther off than they had 


LI CHESTER 


185 

thought It grew dark so quickly that, much to 
Giles’s disappointment and Millicent’s joy, An¬ 
selm decided to stop at the Blue Boar, a tavern in 
Lichester. 

The Blue Boar was slightly larger than any of 
the other houses in Lichester. Over the door hung 
a sign-board that creaked and rattled in every 
breath of wind. A hideous, blue creature was 
painted upon the sign-board. Inside, in spite of 
the warmth of the summer evening, a fire was 
burning on the hearth, and soon trenchers of savory 
meat were placed before the hungry travelers. 

The next morning Millicent woke early. A 
hostler was watering his horse at the well in the 
yard, and it was his loud voice that had awakened 
the girl. She ran to the window that faced Liches¬ 
ter Castle. It looked very grand and beautiful 
against the morning sky. 

The hostler drew water from the well for his 
horse and then paused to speak to one of the maids 
at the tavern. She had come out with one of the 
big, crockery pitchers for water. The hostler gal¬ 
lantly drew it for her. 

The sight of the water made Millicent thirsty. 
She was very dusty, as well. It would be a good 
chance to wash away the dust of the journey. A 
wooden bucket tied to a long rope was near the 
well. She lowered it into the depths of the well. 
There was a dull thud when it touched the water. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


186 

With some difficulty, because it was very heavy, 
she drew it out of the well. After a good drink 
of the cold, clear water, she bathed her face and 
arms. 

Most of the dark stain that had been put upon 
them had worn off, leaving her skin white. Her 
hair was still dark at the ends but, up around her 
face and close to the head where the new hair was 
growing out, it was as golden as before. It was 
very dirty. After a few moments’ consideration 
she did her best to wash it also. When it was 
washed, she rubbed it as dry as possible and shook 
it out. 

By this time Giles and Anselm were up. Soon, 
after a hearty meal, they again started on their 
way. 

It was a beautiful day. A soft haze of pur¬ 
plish hue clung close to distant mountains. The 
road wound through fields already beginning to 
yellow under the hot summer sun. The castle 
loomed up before them, the goal of their dreams. 

“Look!” exclaimed Millicent as they drew 
nearer. “ The great drawbridge is raised. That 
seems strange to me, at this time in the morning. 
In times of peace it is usually lowered.” 

“ I know something about it,” replied Giles. 
“ I heard the men at the tavern talking about it 
last night. They said that Lord Sibert is no friend 
of John’s, and that he is afraid that if he does not 


LICHESTER 187 

hold his castle by force it may be wrested from 
him.” 

“ News has also come that Glendale, who is 
Lord of Gillies, the next duchy, will probably lead 
out his men against Sibert. They have been at 
odds over a piece of land claimed for years by 
both. Until now he has dared make no attack, for 
Sibert is a prime favorite with the late King 
Richard,” added Anselm gravely. 

Giles’s eyes shone. Not only was he about to 
enter castle-life as he had desired for as long as 
he could remember, but he was to see real warfare 
as well. Surely, in the troublous times to come, he 
would be given a chance to do deeds of valor. 
With boyish ignorance of the terrible side of war¬ 
fare, of burned villages, and the horror of slow 
starvation, he delighted in the prospect of the ex¬ 
citement to come. 

Anselm read his thoughts and shook his head 
sadly. 

“You little realize the terrors of warfare,” he 
said. “ You have never seen your best friends, as 
I have, lying in their own blood. You have never 
seen the red glare of burning cottages against the 
sky.” 

Millicent shivered, and Giles was silent for a 
moment in deep thought. 

" I will be a fighter,” he said after a long pause. 
“ I will go to war against the wrong. I will make 


i88 


GILES OF THE STAR 


war on cruelty, but never, never will I do harm to 
anything smaller or weaker than I am,” 

“See!” exclaimed Millicent, pointing behind 
her. “ They are bringing carts from the village to 
the castle.” 

“ I think I know what they contain,” replied 
Giles, with a backward glance at the great, clumsy, 
home-made carts that were slowly wending their 
way toward the castle. “ Lord Sibert has sent out 
a call to the peasants to bring in their produce so 
that, in case of a siege, the castle will be well sup¬ 
plied with food. It seems rather hard on the poor 
people, who have to turn in everything they have 
raised.” 

Anselm shook his head. “ It is better that the 
poor people should bring it to the castle,” he said. 
“ If worse comes to worst, they would lose the sup¬ 
plies to the enemy. Many of the villagers will 
take to the forest for protection, but most of them 
will seek protection in the castle.” 

The carts were near enough for them to see that 
they were filled with heaps of potatoes and bags of 
grain. In one were stacked up rude, wicker cages 
filled with poultry of various sorts. Cattle and 
sheep were tied to the backs of the wagons. The 
faces of the peasants who drove the carts were grim 
and troubled. 

Anselm walked beside one raw-boned, young 
farmer, talking seriously. At first the peasant 


LICHESTER 


189 

seemed disinclined to do much talking. He 
seemed to feel suspicious of the knight who con¬ 
descended to walk along by his side, talking so 
freely. Usually, knights did not converse much 
with the commoners except to give them orders, 
but Anselm too long had lived the life of a com¬ 
mon hermit to be fastidious. He had often told 
Giles that the true worth of a man was not to be 
measured by his position in the world or by his 
wealth. 

Giles listened eagerly to the conversation about 
the food supply and armament. If he were to be 
a knight, he must know what preparation must be 
made in time of war. 

“ People are pretty well stirred up about it in 
the village,” the man said. “ We expect it to come 
soon.” 

Anselm turned to Giles. 

“ Can you tell why the villagers fear that the 
attack will be made soon? ” he asked. 

Giles looked doubtful for a moment, then he 
smiled. It was the smile of one who had thought 
out a difficult problem and had come to a satisfac¬ 
tory solution. 

“ How long would it take to overcome the castle 
by force? ” he asked. 

“ It could not be taken in an attack,” replied An¬ 
selm. “ It would take a long siege.” 

“ Then I know why the attack would be made 


GILES OF THE STAR 


190 

soon,” exclaimed Giles. “ The enemy would not 
want to wait until after the harvest. The more 
food there was on hand, the more time it would 
take to starve out the people in the castle.” 

Anselm looked fondly at the bright face beside 
him. Yes, in his estimation, Giles was well-fitted 
both in intelligence and bravery to stand with the 
sons of the nobility. He was thoughtful, brave, 
generous, and truthful. The man’s quick glance of 
approval made the boy’s heart leap. 

The warder at the door of the castle had seen 
the approach of the train of carts and, as they came 
up to the moat, the huge drawbridge was slowly 
lowered. The men with the carts of provender 
were allowed to pass unquestioned, but the long 
pikes of two men-at-arms barred Anselm’s way. 

A curious smile passed over his face at the 
hindrance. He thought of the days when, as a 
boy, he had raced over that drawbridge with his 
brother and sister and the deference that was his 
due then. Now he was unrecognized. His sister 
had married Alford’s brother against the wishes of 
her own older brother, Sibert, although it had been 
with the old father’s consent. Anselm had chosen 
to cast his lot in with his sister. She would need 
him more than Sibert, and now, after more than 
a dozen years, he was coming back to his old home, 
only to be unrecognized. 

He unfastened the sword with the plain hilt, 


LICHESTER 


191 

which had hung by his side from the time he had 
secured it from the chest at Avalon, and handed it 
to one of the guards. 

“Take this sword to your master,” he said. 
“ He will recognize its workmanship, and will 
know from whom it came. Tell him that I come 
on matters of great importance.” 

The guard took the sword and looked at it in¬ 
tently. Somewhere he had heard a tale of a plain- 
hilted sword. It was one of the legends of the 
castle. His eyes looked up keenly as he saw the 
device scratched upon the blade. It was the sign 
of those whom he guarded. 

A page came up to look at the newcomers curi¬ 
ously. His eyes flashed disdainfully as he saw 
their travel-stained rags. The guard called to the 
boy and handed him the sword. 

“Take it to your father, lad,” he said in the 
voice of one used to giving commands. “ Tell him 
that a stranger would speak with him on a matter 
of importance.” 

The boy took the sword and, with another glance 
of contempt at Giles and Millicent, went into the 
courtyard behind the entrance. 

“ Is that Lord Sibert’s son? ” asked Anselm with 
a gesture toward the retreating page. “ He has 
not the look of the rest of the family.” 

The man-at-arms looked after the lad con¬ 
temptuously. “ He is his son,” he replied, “ his 


GILES OF THE STAR 


192 

youngest one, and a spoiled, conceited fellow he is. 
He has just been recalled from another castle 
where he went as soon as he was old enough to be 
a page. There he was the youngest of all the pages 
and, being a pretty, little fellow, he was spoiled 
sadly. His father is perfectly disgusted with his 
training. The older lad is the model of all a young 
squire should be.” 

At this moment the empty carts came rattling 
across the courtyard and out over the drawbridge. 
More, laden with supplies, were approaching so 
the drawbridge was left lowered. Before they re¬ 
turned, unloaded, Gurth, the page, was back with 
a message from Sibert. His eyes were round with 
surprise and his voice, when he spoke, denoted a 
certain respectful attitude far different from the 
impudent glances he had formerly cast. 

u My father bade me bring you to him, sir,” he 
said, bowing before the tall figure of Anselm. A 
gleam of humor came into Giles’s eyes at the sud¬ 
den change from insolence to respect, and Gurth, 
in straightening, saw the look. Resentment at the 
mirth of a common peasant boy and insolence 
again came into his face. The look which he cast 
upon Giles held hatred. 

Across the inner court they went, to the smaller 
building within. Neither Giles nor Millicent had 
ever seen the interior of such a castle. Avalon was 
one huge building, perched upon the sheer, rocky 


LICHESTER 


i 93 

summit of a high hill. Precipitous rocks and thick 
stone walls kept all its enemies at bay. 

This castle seemed to be made up of several 
buildings, surrounded by a very thick wall. On 
top of the walls were built equally strong towers. 
These overlooked the moat which was dug around 
the castle. From them, the defenders of the castle 
could fling their missiles upon an approaching 
enemy. The moat was deep and wide. It would 
take an ambitious enemy either to attempt to tun¬ 
nel under the walls or to fill them up, especially 
as it was an easy matter to fling down rocks upon 
them. 

The size of the courtyard was surprising. In it 
were gardens and a well. Storehouses were on one 
side of the courtyard, and the dwelling-place of 
its owner on the other. 

The hall, into which Gurth led them, was even 
larger than the one at Avalon. The walls were 
hung with finely wrought tapestry which not only 
made the place less gloomy, but also made it 
warmer in the winter. On it, in gay colors, were 
worked stories from the Bible, some of which 
were familiar to both of the children. 

However, it was not the pictures on the tapestry 
which caught the attention the moment that they 
stepped into the room. As soon as their eyes had 
become used to the gloom within, after the dazzle 
of the day without, they looked at the one occupant 


i 9 4 GILES OF THE STAR 

of the room. It was the knight they had seen at 
the inn. 

“ You are back,” he said to Anselm. “ I am glad, 
for I see that your quest has been successful.” 

Anselm drew Millicent forward. 

“ This is our little niece, Sibert,” he said. 
“ Millicent of Avalon.” The tall, dignified man 
laid his hand upon her roughened curls, much to 
the astonishment of young Gurth who still lurked 
in the outskirts. His father noticed him. 

“ Go, son, to thy mother and tell her that Lady 
Millicent of Avalon has arrived, and is with me in 
the hall.” 

Again amusement flashed into Giles’s eyes for he 
knew that it must be very galling to his young royal 
highness, as he had mentally dubbed Gurth, to run 
errands for strangers, especially strangers clad in 
rags and covered with dust. Again Gurth saw the 
glance of amusement, and his blood boiled at the 
thought of a common peasant making fun of him. 

As soon as Gurth left the room, Sibert spoke 
kindly to Millicent and then turned back to 
Anselm. “ My wife will take the little niece,” he 
said. 11 She will do for her exactly as if she were 
her own. We saw these children a few weeks ago 
but we did not know that they were seeking us, nor 
did they know us.” 

He looked at Giles with so keen a glance that 
the boy felt that he had uncovered his most secret 


LICHESTER i 95 

thoughts. “ Who is this lad? ” he asked. Anselm 
hesitated the barest fraction of a minute. 

“ He is my friend,” he said simply. “ I have a 
great favor to ask of you. I want you to take the 
boy as one of your pages. He has been with me 
since babyhood. He has the characteristics of a 
faithful and brave knight.” 

“ We do not make knights out of peasants, An¬ 
selm,” said Sibert thoughtfully, again looking at 
Giles. What he saw was a pair of steady, gray 
eyes that looked fearlessly into his own, a firm chin 
that spoke eloquently of determination, and a crop 
of yellow curls worn in the peasant fashion. He 
noted the square set of the boy’s shoulders and the 
well developed muscles of his legs and arms. Then 
his regard returned to the boy’s face. 

“ The lad has well-cut features and does not bear 
himself as a common country lout,” he mused. 

Giles flushed. Anselm spoke dryly. u His edu¬ 
cation has been my one regard,” he said. 

“ We will try it, at least,” said Lord Sibert, with 
another penetrating glance. 

The drapery that hung at the door was pushed 
aside and the Lady Constance entered. Both Giles 
and Millicent remembered the sweet-faced lady 
who had smiled so kindly at them at the inn. For 
the first time, Millicent was not sorry that she had 
come to the castle. Such a gentle, beautiful 
woman would be sure to be kind, even loving. It 


196 GILES OF THE STAR 

would be good to have some woman to care for 
her again. 

Lady Constance crossed the room and, much to 
her son’s surprise and disgust, drew the ragged, 
dusty, little girl into her arms. 

“ My dear little girl,” she said softly, “ I knew 
your mother well and loved her. You are very 
like her.” 

Tears sprang into Millicent’s eyes, but they were 
tears of joy. Giles looked on, a trifle enviously. 
He had never known his mother. She had died 
when he was a little baby. He did not even know 
who she was, but if he could have chosen a mother 
of all the women he had ever seen, without hesita¬ 
tion he would have chosen Lady Constance. 

Lord Sibert drew the boy forward. 

“ I am taking a new page, Constance,” he said 
gravely. Then he turned to Anselm. 

“ What is the lad’s name? ” he asked. 

“ His name is Giles,” replied Anselm. 

Lord Sibert turned to Giles. 

“ One of the duties of knighthood is gallantry, 
Giles,” he said. “ A page is supposed to wait upon 
the ladies of the castle, to serve them in all things. 
Lady Constance is your lady. You must watch out 
for her comfort and render her perfect obedience. 
You must learn the things which she will teach 
you. Down upon your knee, lad, in homage! ” 

For one fleeting second Giles’s eyes rested upon 


LICHESTER 


197 

the tender, beautiful face of his liege lady. Rev¬ 
erently he went down on one knee and, with bowed 
head, kissed the hem of her robe; he, Giles the 
peasant, was henceforth dedicated to the service 
of Lord Sibert and Lady Constance. He was, at 
last, a page. 


CHAPTER XVII 


AGAINST ODDS 

A LOOK of surprise came into Sibert’s face at 
the courtly grace of the lad, and he cast a quick 
glance at Anselm. Surely a boy brought up in the 
wild would not have the graceful bearing of one 
who had been reared in castles. One could not 
have the polish and dignity of a page who had 
nearly reached the rank of squire, if he had not 
been under strict training. Why had Anselm 
taken this lad, a simple peasant, and lavished upon 
him the careful training that is the preparation 
for knighthood? Was it because he was lonely in 
his life upon the hillside and had taken the lad 
only for companionship, or was it because he 
really was some child of high degree? 

“ Take Giles to old Raoul, and bid him furnish 
him with the clothing of a page,” he told his son. 
Gurth started for the door, his face black with dis¬ 
dain. With a wistful glance at Anselm, for he was 
loath to go away with the haughty Gurth alone, 
Giles followed the page from the big hall to the 
open courtyard beyond. Across the yard they went 
in silence. Gurth felt that it was beneath his dig¬ 
nity to waste conversation on a common peasant, 

198 


AGAINST ODDS 


199 

and Giles’s pride kept him from making any com¬ 
ment. Shag, who had lain down by the door, 
leaped up to greet his master and followed him 
across the square. 

There were other dogs in the courtyard. Shag, 
who had been carefully trained while traveling 
with the troupe to leave all strange dogs alone, 
paid not the slightest attention to any of them. He 
kept close to his master’s side, but with one wary 
eye directed toward a huge mastiff, who was ad¬ 
vancing with signs of animosity. Giles laid one 
firm hand upon his pet’s head. He was not afraid 
for him, because he had seen Shag victorious in 
battle with a larger dog than this mastiff, but 
he did not want his pet to get into trouble with 
any of Lord Sibert’s dogs. 

There were several other pages in the yard. 
When they saw the prospect of a fight, they 
crowded up to where Gurth and Giles were stand¬ 
ing. Gurth saw a chance to revenge himself upon 
Giles for his mirth and also to have a little fun. 
He caught the castle dog by the leather strap about 
its neck. 

“ This is my dog,” he told Giles. 

“ He looks like an ugly fellow,” replied Giles. 

“ He is an ugly chap,” replied Gurth with some 
pride. “ He has chewed up two of the castle dogs 
since I brought him here a month ago. I like a 
good fighter.” 


200 


GILES OF THE STAR 


Giles petted Shag’s ugly head. The dog’s tail 
wagged in response to the touch of his master’s 
hand, but every muscle in his body was taut. His 
attention was all on the snarling, growling brute 
that was straining in his master’s grasp. 

u I like a dog with loyalty and affection better,” 
said Giles. Gurth grimaced over his shoulder at 
the other pages who had come up. 

“ This is an awfully strong fellow,” he panted. 
“ I can’t hold him much longer.” Giles took 
stronger hold of Shag. 

a I don’t want them to fight,” he said. 

“ Coward,” said Gurth with scorn. “ There, I 
said I could not hold him any longer. Let your 
dog look out for himself.” 

Giles let go his hold. He would only hinder 
Shag by keeping it for the mastiff was almost 
upon them, and bent on finishing poor Shag as 
quickly as possible. With a great impact the two 
dogs came together. There was a snarling growl 
from two throats, then a yelp of pain from the mas¬ 
tiff. He had expected little resistance and this 
game counter-attack surprised him. Both dogs 
were in splendid condition. Neither had ever been 
conquered in battle before. 

Several squires and two of the men-at-arms, 
hearing the commotion, came hurrying up. 

“The brown dog is a game fellow,” said one 
squire to another. “ He is at a disadvantage, for 


AGAINST ODDS 201 

the mastiff is fighting on his own ground. I 
wouldn’t wager much on his chances, however.” 

Over and over the two dogs rolled. Neither 
seemed to be getting the better of the other. Blood 
smeared their bodies. Giles had never seen Shag 
fight as he was fighting now. The lust for battle 
was in his eyes. His teeth ripped at his antagonist, 
seeking for a grip upon the other’s neck. 

“ Oh, stop them,” he cried out in alarm, for Shag 
was very dear to his heart, and the other dog was 
very large and fierce. 

“ Let them fight it out,” replied Gurth for, at 
that moment, his dog seemed to have all the advan¬ 
tage. “ What is a peasant’s dog to us, except to 
provide us fun? ” 

“ I wouldn’t be sorry to see the brown dog win,” 
said the squire who stood by Giles’s shoulder. “ It 
was my dog that the mastiff killed last week.” 

Giles looked up at the speaker. There was no 
mistaking who he was, for he was the image of 
Lord Sibert cast in a narrower mold. Here was 
the lad who would later be Lord of Lichester 
Castle. 

There was a shout from the group surrounding 
the dog-fight. The tables seemed to be turning. 
Shag no longer seemed at the disadvantage. He 
had gotten his hold upon the other dog’s neck. 
Slowly, he was choking the very life out of him. 

u Call off your dog!” shrieked Gurth. What 


202 


GILES OF THE STAR 


had seemed rare sport when his dog had seemed 
to be the winner, now was far from funny to the 
spoiled, young page. A howl of derision went up 
from the other boys. 

u Did you call off your dog in the two fights he 
fought? ” said his older brother in disgust. 

There was no need to call off Shag. He had 
conquered his enemy. There was no point in kill¬ 
ing a vanquished foe. Before the life was com¬ 
pletely choked out of his adversary, Shag let his 
limp body go. With a humorous air of modesty 
and apology, as one who regretted a necessary 
deed, he went to his master’s side and, with a long 
sigh, laid himself at his feet. The vanquished 
dog slunk off toward the kennels. 

Giles dropped down on one knee and hugged the 
bleeding Shag. Then, without more than a glance 
at the furious Gurth, he led the dog to the well 
where, tearing a strip of cloth from his ragged 
tunic, he bathed the ugly wounds in the dog’s side. 
Meanwhile, the other boys clustered about Gurth, 
eager to know who the peasant boy was, and-why 
he had come to Lichester Castle. 

The young squire, Sibert the second, came to 
where Giles was bathing his bloody pet, and seated 
himself on the edge of the well. Giles looked up 
and met his curious, and yet friendly, glance. 

u That is a fine dog you have,” said the squire, 
laying his hand upon Shag’s head. “ I don’t sup- 


AGAINST ODDS 


203 

pose you want to get rid of him, by any chance. 
I wouldn’t mind owning that dog myself.” 

Giles drew the dog closer. 

“ He is my friend,” said the boy simply. " One 
does not sell his friends.” 

“ I don’t blame you,” said Sibert. “ I wouldn’t 
sell him if he were mine. You’d better watch out 
for my younger brother, though. He is accus¬ 
tomed to getting what he has set his heart upon. I 
can see that he has a strong feeling against you. 
He may try to take your dog away, to make up for 
his spoiling the mastiff. If he does, you tell him 
that I have spoken for him first.” 

“ Thank you,” said Giles. “ You are kind.” 

“ I like to see fair play,” Sibert replied. “ By 
the way, who are you? ” 

“ I am Giles,” replied the boy. “ I came from 
Avalon with the Lady Millicent, your cousin. I 
am to be a page here at Lichester.” 

“ From Avalon,” exclaimed Sibert. “ That is 
interesting. When my uncle came, several weeks 
ago, he told my father how he had given the little 
lady into the charge of a boy of twelve. I was in 
the room to hear it. My father said that the boy 
must have proven himself in all ways trustworthy, 
and my uncle said he would trust him with life 
itself. I will be your friend, Giles.” 

Giles looked up at him with grateful eyes. He 
was very happy that Anselm should trust him so 


204 GILES OF THE STAR 

fully. Just then the door of the great hall opened, 
and Sibert and Anselm came into the courtyard. 

“ The boy is not to know, then? ” questioned 
Lord Sibert. 

“ Not until he is fifteen,” replied Anselm. “ It 
was what I promised.” 

“ It will make things harder for him,” said Si¬ 
bert thoughtfully, “ but if he is the kind of a lad 
you think him to be, it will only make him the 
stronger in character.” 

When Lord Sibert found that his orders had not 
been carried out, his face darkened and he curtly 
called both Giles and Gurth. 

“ Why have you not carried out my orders? ” he 
said to his son. 

Gurth looked frightened. He had found out, in 
the short month he had been back at his father’s 
castle, that, of all virtues, his father admired quick, 
accurate obedience most highly. His father was a 
stern taskmaster, unlike the easy-going, shiftless 
Lord Rupert from whom he had come. The 
thought of turning the blame onto Giles came into 
his mind. 

“ His dog nearly killed mine,” he said sullenly. 
“ I tried to make them stop fighting, but he would 
not call off his brute.” 

Giles looked at Gurth in open-mouthed surprise. 
He had been unwilling that Shag should fight. 
He had tried to prevent it but Gurth, so sure that 


AGAINST ODDS 205 

his dog would be victorious, had loosed his dog, 
knowing that if he did so there would be the fight. 
It was only after Gurth had seen that things were 
going against his pet, that he had told Giles to call 
off Shag. 

Lord Sibert saw the astonished glance but seem¬ 
ingly paid no heed to it. 1 

“ Is that the truth? ” he asked Giles sternly. 

Giles hesitated. It was the truth. He could not 
deny that, but it was not the whole truth. It was 
the truth, but a truth that made a lie seem like 
truth. Giles could not express that, so he merely 
replied, “Yes, sir.” Lord Sibert looked at him 
keenly. 

“ Did you set your dog on my son’s dog? ” he 
asked. 

“ No, sir,” replied Giles, and this time his an¬ 
swer was prompt and decided enough. 

“ Did he set his dog on yours? ” 

“No, sir,” replied Giles. 

“ His dog is a very ugly beast, Father,” broke in 
Gurth. “ You ought to have seen how he chewed 
up Roi. He won’t be any good to any one any 
more. The brute should be killed. He is dan¬ 
gerous to have around. He might hurt some one 
badly.” 

At that moment Shag left Giles’s side and 
bounded toward the open door of the hall. The 
Lady Millicent, beautifully attired, as befitted a 


GILES OF THE STAR 


206 

little lady of a castle, stood there with the Lady 
Constance by her side. The moment she saw Shag 
she opened her arms to him to his evident delight. 
He made a great pretense of chewing up her slip¬ 
per, rolled over on his back, puppy-fashion, and 
kissed her hand. Then he poked his head into the 
Lady Constance’s hand, trying to tell her that he 
liked her very much. 

Lord Sibert laughed shortly. 

“ That does not look very ferocious to me,” he 
said, “ but there, I’m not a man to be frightened 
at trifles. Next time, my son, call off your dog 
before he is chewed up, and now go to old Raoul as 
I bade thee some time ago, and tell him what I 
told thee.” 

Stung by the implied charge of cowardice, and 
humbled before the other pages, Gurth walked 
off with Giles, Shag following him. Outwardly 
obedient, but with hot rebellion in his heart, he 
led Giles to Raoul and delivered his father’s 
message. Then, not desiring to add to his humilia¬ 
tion by staying in Giles’s presence longer, he 
sought out certain of his friends among the pages 
to entertain them with his views concerning the 
allowing of peasants to train with the children of 
nobles for knighthood. 

Meanwhile Giles was undergoing a new experi¬ 
ence, that of being fitted to a new suit of clothing 
throughout. It was wonderful to discard the sim- 


AGAINST ODDS 


207 

pie tunic of peasant and to take on that of a page. 
It was not the new clothes themselves that filled 
his heart with joy. It was what the new clothes 
stood for, that thrilled him. He was no longer 
Giles the peasant boy, but Giles the page. And 
there in the dimly-lighted room, where the old 
servant of Lord Sibert bent over the small alter¬ 
ation he must make in the new garb, Giles again 
made up his mind that in all ways he would grow 
up worthy of the great honor that had been done 
him. He vowed that he would set his mind upon 
learning all that he could which a knight should 
know. “ I will grow strong, gentle, and wise,” he 
thought. 

The fact that he had won Gurth’s dislike trou¬ 
bled him, although he did not see how he could 
have acted otherwise. He was pledged to give 
service to all of Lord Sibert’s family, but how 
could he be of service to one who hated him? 

Giles had a quick, hasty temper, although he 
had it under good control. He had been very 
angry with Gurth, both for the trouble over the 
dogs and the statements that the young page had 
made to his father, but Giles was not one to hold 
a grudge. Already his anger was nearly burned 
out. Not so with Gurth. Fed upon bitter thoughts 
and plans for revenge, his antagonism grew to ha¬ 
tred that was destined to bring both boys into grave 
danger. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 

To Giles’s great delight his training commenced 
that very day. The big meal of the day was served 
in the late afternoon. In spite of the fact that the 
sun had not yet set, the great hall was dark. The 
great hall of Lichester was like most other great 
halls of the time, a citadel within a citadel. It 
was here that the last stand was made in case an 
enemy won past the outer wall. The windows 
were narrow slits, high up in the walls. 

During the afternoon meal the great hall was 
lighted by torches. Some of these stood in metal 
holders, but it was usually the duty of the pages to 
hold them so the light would fall most advanta¬ 
geously for the diners. To Giles’s joy he was as¬ 
signed to the torch nearest the big table, about 
which sat the lord of the castle and the most ex¬ 
alted of his knights. 

Not far away sat the ladies of the castle. The 
light from the torches fell upon their bright-col¬ 
ored gowns and glinted upon the long, dark hair 
of the Lady Constance. A metal coronet held it 
back from her face while, beneath the coronet, it 
hung in glossy waves below her waist. Lady Mil- 

licent was among the younger girls of the castle. 

208 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 209 

That she had lost her dread, Giles could tell by the 
happy expression of her face as she talked and 
laughed with her companions. 

There were rushes spread on the floor and the 
room was almost barn-like in its simplicity, but 
to Giles it was the most wonderful room he had 
ever been in. The dogs of the castle hung about 
their masters, begging for the bones of the feast 
that were always thrown out to them. Shag, eyes 
bright with interest, lay by Giles’s side most of the 
time, only going twice to Anselm for bones. 

What was a tiresome matter of duty to the other 
torch-bearers, was a wonderful experience to the 
boy who had longed and dreamed for years of just 
such duty. Whereas the others yawned with im¬ 
patience at the length of the feast, Giles stood with 
alert, eager face watching the gay scene before 
him. He stood so near to Lord Sibert that he 
could hear the conversation that passed about the 
table. It was not about the chase or the pleasures 
in which knights delight. There were no stories 
of gallant deeds nor jugglers with the funny tricks 
of which Millicent had spoken. The pleasures 
were for times of peace, and now war was brew¬ 
ing. The conversation dealt with the best ways to 
fortify a castle, the amount of food that would be 
needed in case the siege were to be a long one, and 
the preparation which must still be made. 

The days that followed were fascinating ones 


210 


GILES OF THE STAR 


to the boy. Much of his time, it is true, was spent 
with the ladies of the castle, as was the case with 
all of the other pages. He ran errands for the 
Lady Constance and learned the things that she 
taught him with a good grace, although he was far 
happier when out in the courtyard with the knights 
and squires. He was almost old enough to be a 
squire but, until he had learned many things that 
a page was supposed to know, he could not hope 
to be promoted to that rank. 

“Work hard, lad,” said Anselm. “You will 
catch up to the others if you do. They have never 
felt the deep desire and the working under diffi¬ 
culties that you have. Your very determination 
will carry you through.” 

Giles did work desperately. Whatever game 
they played or race or contest that they took part 
in, he threw himself into with a vim that soon 
awoke the respect of the other boys. He did not 
win much at first, to his great chagrin. The other 
boys had practised for several years while he was 
entirely new at the games, but every day he could 
see some improvement. 

His desire to become friendly with Gurth was 
not seconded by that young gentleman, who surely 
could hold a grudge for a long time. After one or 
two attempts to be pleasant to the younger son of 
Lord Sibert he gave it up and, in the future, ig¬ 
nored him as completely as if he were not about. 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 211 

This was difficult at times, for Gurth went out of 
his way to be disagreeable to the boy who had 
angered him so greatly. Giles would have often 
suffered from Gurth’s dislike if it had not been for 
young Sibert, the squire. With an older boy’s 
good-natured liking for a plucky younger one, he 
often showed his approval in a way that influenced 
the other pages in Giles’s favor. 

His education in horsemanship began soon after 
he came to Lichester. Riding a horse had looked 
very easy to him when he had seen the knights go 
riding away from Avalon, but he found that it was 
not as easy as it seemed. The horse that he was 
given was as capricious and full of small tricks as 
a horse might be. 

One moment Giles was sitting erect upon the 
saddle, the next he was flying over the horse’s head 
amid a roar of laughter from the onlookers. But 
he did not give up. Although he had landed 
rather heavily on his shoulder which pained badly, 
he got up with a twisted smile to try again. The 
horse stood quietly enough until he was fairly 
seated then sprang off all four legs, landing with 
a jarring bump. This, not having dislodged his 
rider, he reared upon his hind legs. Giles clung 
to the saddle. The horse broke into a fast run, only 
to stop so suddenly that again Giles went flying 
over his head. 

“ Well, I never saw that horse act like that be- 


212 


GILES OF THE STAR 


fore,” said young Sibert, catching the animal by 
the bridle. “ Something must be the matter with 
him.” 

A search brought to light a small, sharp bit of 
rock inserted under the saddle. The saddle was 
firmly strapped on so the presence of the sharp 
fragment of stone must have been painful, even be¬ 
fore Giles’s weight was in the saddle. With a 
scornful and withering glance at his younger 
brother, Sibert flung the bit of stone at his ankle. 
Being adept in the art of throwing stones, the mis¬ 
sile hit Gurth’s ankle and hurt. Gurth, who ad¬ 
mired his older brother more than any other 
human being, was hurt more by the look of scorn 
than the stone and was filled with jealousy. 

Giles, now that the horse was made comfortable, 
no longer had difficulty with him. He practised 
as much as possible for the next two weeks in the 
courtyard, anxious to become sufficiently proficient 
to accompany the ladies when they went falconing. 

It was not often that the ladies of the castle were 
allowed to ride from the castle, however. Even 
when the great drawbridge was lowered for them 
to leave the castle for pleasure, an armed guard 
went with them. The young squires were not con¬ 
sidered enough of a protection in these troublous 
times. 

Every day there were new arrivals at the castle. 
More loads of food were brought from surround- 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 213 

ing farms and villages. The village that lay near¬ 
est the dangerous border line between the two 
duchies was completely deserted. The people who 
usually made their homes there fled into the for¬ 
est, or sought refuge from the foe with friends 
and relatives nearer to Lichester. 

Lord Sibert’s spies, who were keeping watch 
over the enemy, reported that Lord Gillies was 
calling together his men-at-arms and was prepar¬ 
ing for an invasion. They reported that great 
plans were being laid for the capture of the castle, 
and that Lord Gillies was well-equipped with 
both men and ammunition. 

A small group of Lord Sibert’s men captured 
a messenger who was on his way from Lord Gillies 
to King John. By threatening torture, they fright¬ 
ened him into telling that Lord Gillies was offering 
John his help in his attack on Lichester, and that 
Lord Gillies’s preparations were almost complete. 

All of the pages were very much interested in 
the preparation for war and quite burned to do 
something heroic. Most of their spare time was 
spent either listening to their elders or playing war. 

In these encounters, Gurth, being the son of the 
Lord of Lichester, insisted upon playing that he 
was his father, the defender. None of the pages 
wanted to take the part of the invaders at first. 
At last Giles spoke up hotly. 

“We aren’t having a bit of fun,” he said. “ It 


GILES OF THE STAR 


214 

is all because we all want to be the heroes of the 
scrap. I hate Lord Gillies and I’d fight against 
him to the best of my ability if I got a chance, but 
I’ll play I am he rather than not play at all. And 
if I do play I’m he, watch out for your laurels, 
Gurth of Lichester.” 

The quick retort on Gurth’s lips was checked 
by the lord of the castle himself who was within 
earshot. 

u Bravo, Giles of Avalon,” he called out., 
“ Make that young son of mine work to uphold the 
honor of Lichester.” 

That put a different face on the matter. If Lord 
Sibert approved of those who were willing to take 
the part of the enemy, there was not a boy who was 
unwilling to do it. Most of the boys, even those 
who had looked down at Giles when he had first 
come among them in his tattered peasant garb, 
now admired him for the whole-hearted way he 
flung himself into both work and play. He was 
a born leader, and as such they recognized him. 
His sunny disposition and obliging manner had 
already won friends for him. 

Gurth envied him this popularity. His own 
pride and desire to have his own way at all costs 
were not characteristics to make him well-liked 
among the other pages. It was not entirely his 
fault, however. He had been badly spoiled at the 
other castle by both knights and ladies. It had 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 215 

given him exaggerated notions of his own impor¬ 
tance. Some day his eyes would be open to his 
own disagreeable traits, but the time was not yet 
ripe. 

“ Choose your sides,” proposed Lord Sibert, who 
was interested in all boys’ sports. 

That did not quite please Gurth, who had 
planned to make a sweeping choice of all of the 
strongest players. However, as his father had been 
the one to suggest it, he gave up as gracefully as 
he could. Fortune favored him in the matter of 
first choice. Without hesitation he called out, 
“ Anstruther.” 

A quiet look of amusement flicked over Giles’s 
face as the big fellow slouched over to Gurth’s 
side, for he knew that, while Anstruther was as 
strong as an ox, he was as clumsy as one, as well. 
Giles glanced quickly over the group of pages. 

“ I’ll take Roger,” he said quietly. 

A howl of laughter greeted this, for, of all the 
pages, Roger was the smallest in body and the 
weakest in endurance. He could not run as fast 
as the others. There was not a page among them 
who could not best him in a wrestling match. 
Roger, himself, looked at Giles in amazed dis¬ 
belief. It was the first time since he had come to 
the castle several years before that he had ever 
been chosen first in any game. He looked at Giles 
with almost pathetic gratitude. 


I 


216 GILES OF THE STAR 

Lord Sibert, still looking on, turned to his older 
son. 

“ Peasant though he may be, the boy is wise,” he 
said. 

“ But Father,” he exclaimed, “ Roger is no good 
in a fight. He is as weak as water. Think of him 
pitted in a fisticuff against Anstruther.” 

“ He will be pitted in no fisticuff,” replied Lord 
Sibert. “ Giles is too wise for that. The actual 
battle is but a small part of a campaign. It is the 
ability to plan that counts. Any country lout can 
develop strong muscles, but it takes a far-seeing 
brain to carry through a siege. Roger may never 
fight in a single battle, but I would rather have 
him my friend than my foe thirty years from now.” 

The other boys were fairly well matched up. 
It did not take long to choose up. The boys who 
were Gurth’s particular friends were not especially 
admired by Giles. Both boys were well satisfied 
with the result. It was necessary that they collect 
ammunition and make armor for themselves. 

“ I suppose, as we are the enemy, we ought to 
let them win,” said one of the boys on Giles’s side. 

“Never,” replied Giles firmly. 

“ Then, as we are going to win we ought not to 
call ourselves Lord Gillies’s men,” said Roger 
firmly. “ Let’s call our leader Sir Giles of some¬ 
thing or other, and send a challenge to them in 
his name.” 


TRAINING FOR KNIGHTHOOD 217 

Giles’s eyes shone. He drew from the blouse of 
his tunic the coat of arms he had made up in the 
cave at Avalon on the eventful day that saw the 
beginning of all his adventures. Anselm had 
painted a beautiful copy of it on parchment. Be¬ 
fore their admiring eyes it gleamed—gold, blue, 
and crimson. 

“ It is only a made-up one,” confessed Giles. 
“ You all have coats of arms that belonged to your 
fathers and grandfathers. Mine is a new one. It 
helps me, though.” 

“ I know,” exclaimed Roger. “ We will call 
ourselves Knights of the Star. Giles is Sir Giles 
of the Star, and the rest of us are knights. We’ll 
send a challenge under the flag of truce.” 

After some discussion as to the wording of the 
challenge Roger, carrying the protecting banner 
of white, crossed the courtyard to the other side 
of the court where Gurth and the others of his 
side were building their fort. With much cere¬ 
mony, one of Gurth’s knights conducted him to the 
leader. Roger slipped his hunting gauntlet from 
his hand. “ In the name of Sir Giles of the Star 
I throw down the gauntlet, declaring war upon 
Sir Gurth of Lichester.” At the last word, he 
hurled the gauntlet at Gurth’s feet. 

The challenge was instantly accepted. Gurth 
slung the gauntlet back with all the strength in his 
good right arm. The fight was on. 


CHAPTER XIX 


THE BATTLE 

For some time both sides were occupied in mak¬ 
ing fortifications. Gurth had promptly taken the 
best site and soon had his men busy making a castle. 
Much firewood, cut into the long lengths suitable 
for large fireplaces, had been brought from the 
forest to the castle, and it was from the piles of this 
that both sides got their material. 

“ I do not think much of the place where our 
castle is,” exclaimed Roger, with much dissatisfac¬ 
tion. “ Their site is much the better. Gurth al¬ 
ways takes the best of everything.” 

“We’ll have to put up with it,” replied Giles, 
as he lifted a big log into place. “ At least we can 
make a castle that will fill them with envy.” 

The castle building for some time went on in 
silence, as far as Roger was concerned. From 
time to time he gazed longingly at the more favor¬ 
able site of the enemy’s castle. It was quite evi¬ 
dent to him that Gurth was doing justice to his 
excellent position by building a fine castle. “ I 
should very much like that castle and that posi¬ 
tion,” he thought. 

The sun was very hot and it beat down unmerci- 

218 


THE BATTLE 


219 

fully on their heads, for there was no shade upon 
that side of the courtyard. Giles saw that he and 
his men were getting both hot and tired, and that 
the castle was not nearly finished. Knowing that 
they would stand a small chance of success if all 
were exhausted, he called most of them off, leaving 
only one to continue work. Across the court they 
could see all of Gurth’s men working briskly, and 
apparently comfortable for they were in the shade. 

“ They are getting much more done than we 
are,” complained one of the boys. “ They will 
be ready for the attack long before we are ready 
for them.” 

“ They will be all tired out,” replied Giles. 

“ I don’t think much of our site,” said Roger 
gloomily. The others laughed. 

“ What are you going to do about it? ” asked 
the one who had complained because more work 
was not being done. 

Roger said nothing but his eyes narrowed. Giles, 
watching him, felt that although he had stopped 
talking of the matter he had not stopped thinking 
of it. He was about to ask whether Roger thought 
it wise to move their castle to another place when 
a cheer from the other side brought them all to 
their feet to see what was going on there. It was 
quite evident that Gurth felt that his castle was 
finished and was celebrating that fact by putting 
his men through military exercises in front of it. 


220 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ Yes,” said Roger pensively, “ I would like that 
castle.” 

“ Why don’t you take the flag of truce and go 
over to Gurth and say to him, ‘ Gurth, we like your 
castle and we don’t like ours. Will you please 
kindly exchange castles with us,’ ” teased one of the 
boys. Roger flushed, but he was used to being 
teased morning, noon, and night, so he did not re¬ 
tort. However, he whispered to Giles that it 
would be wiser to leave their castle unfinished than 
to finish it properly. 

“Just fix it in front so it will look done,” he 
finished up and, because Giles had great faith in 
his friend’s wisdom and felt sure that he would 
not suggest such a thing without a very good rea¬ 
son, he followed his advice. 

Shortly after this conference the fight began 
in earnest. Gurth sent two of his men out into 
the field against Giles. These men were met by 
two of Giles’s men, who promptly drove them as 
far back toward Gurth’s castle as they dared to go. 
Roger’s parting advice had been, “ Don’t let them 
lure you too close to their castle.” Knowing this 
to be good advice, they took care to follow it. 

For a long time the fight went on, neither side 
gaining any advantage. Both were fighting war¬ 
ily, and both were very well matched. On each 
side the players worked so well together that not 
so much as a prisoner was taken. At last, both 


THE BATTLE 


221 


sides were tired out and, by common consent, re¬ 
tired to their castles to rest. Hot and tired as they 
were, the enemy’s shade was most tantalizing to 
Giles’s men. It was particularly annoying for the 
well was near Gurth’s castle, and several of his 
knights were taking copious drinks of the cool 
water. To emphasize the fact that they had all 
the water they needed and that Giles had none, 
they drank much more than was really good for 
them. Then they poured out what was left in the 
pail upon the ground. It was maddening to Giles 
and Roger to see this wicked waste of the water 
that they would have given much to have. 

Gurth fully appreciated the situation and re¬ 
joiced, for he knew that no sane person in Giles’s 
castle would venture to go to the well, and that 
seeing the water would be exquisite torture. There 
were jeers of derision from Gurth’s side as the 
brimming bucket was again drawn from the well. 
The boys could almost see the longing, parched 
lips of those on Giles’s side. 

“ I’d give ’most anything for a drink,” said one 
of Giles’s men. 

“ I’d like to get it in spite of them,” replied 
Giles thoughtfully. “ They think themselves very 
clever to torment us in this way. Hello, what are 
they up to now? ” 

Gurth had taken the pail of water and was ad¬ 
vancing toward them. 


222 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ It is a trick,” whispered Roger. “ Don’t pay 
any heed to him.” But it was too late. One of 
the boys, who had more faith in Gurth’s kindness 
of heart, was already on his way to get it. Just as 
he was about to reach his hand out for the pail, 
Gurth raised it and, with all his force, flung the 
water in the boy’s face. With a howl of rage at the 
trick that Gurth had played him, John rushed 
forth, determined to revenge himself upon his tor¬ 
mentor. Gurth retreated toward his own castle 
followed by John, in spite of Giles’s command for 
him to return. The result was inevitable. Several 
of Gurth’s friends ran out and, before John saw 
his danger, he was surrounded, thrown to the 
ground, bound, and carried away in triumph to the 
enemy’s castle, amid the cheers of his captors. 

“What a foolish thing to try!” commented 
Roger. “ He deserves to be left to his fate but I 
suppose it is our duty to rescue him, for I don’t 
think much of being only seven to their eight. 
Isn’t it about time for us to take their castle, Giles? 
I’m getting rather thirsty.” 

“ Do you think we could? ” replied Giles doubt¬ 
fully, while the other boys hooted derisively at 
him. 

“Well,” replied Roger, “we can try. Besides, 
I have an idea. Look what they are doing now! 
They think that they can catch another one of our 
men with their old water.” 


THE BATTLE 


223 

Gurth had again filled the pail with water and 
had placed it by the well. After doing that, he 
ostentatiously withdrew to his castle and gathered 
his knights about him. 

“ What is your plan, Roger? ” asked Giles. “ I’ll 
admit that I’d do ’most anything for a drink, but 
if we did go to the well we would be captured 
unless we took all of our men and, if we took them 
all, we would lose our castle.” 

“Would you mind losing it?” asked Roger, 
“ that is, would you mind if we could get theirs? ” 

“ No,” answered Giles firmly. “ It’s only half- 
finished, anyway.” 

“ Then exchange castles,” said Roger, playfully. 

Leaving one of their number to guard the fort, 
the others gathered close about Roger while he 
told his plan. At first all except Giles were doubt¬ 
ful whether it could succeed. 

“ If it doesn’t, you are done for,” protested Rolf. 
“ They would rather capture you, Giles, than any 
of the rest of us, and if Gurth gets you, he will 
make it pretty uncomfortable for you. The rest 
of us wouldn’t stand a chance in the world with 
you gone. It is too risky.” 

“ If we could do it, it would be the biggest thing 
possible,” argued Roger. “ All it needs is quick 
action at the right time.” 

“ I’m in favor of it,” said Giles. “We are go¬ 
ing to do it, and we are going to do it right. As 


224 GILES OF THE STAR 

you say, they would give more for getting me into 
their hands than for anything else so, when they 
see a chance to do it, they will take it in a hurry. 
You do not need to fear for me, for I know what 
is at stake and am prepared for what they will 
think is a surprise to me. The whole success of the 
undertaking lies in your understanding what to do, 
and doing it at the right time. There are seven of 
us. With each of you doing what you are told, that 
ought to be enough. I will go for the water as 
secretly as I can seemingly, but really taking pains 
to let them see me. Just as I am about to make off 
with it they will come out after me, at least several 
of them will. That will take down their number to 
about five. When you fellows see them chasing me, 
come out after the ones that are after me. Every 
single one of you leave our fort, and come after 
those who are chasing me. I will take care to lead 
them away from our castle toward theirs, yet off to 
one side. They will see that our castle is left en¬ 
tirely unguarded and will send three or four boys 
to capture it. We’ll let them for we don’t want the 
old thing anyway, but as soon as they are well on 
their way to this castle Roger will give the sign 
from some hiding-place, which means that all of 
you will stop chasing the boys that are after me and 
will run as fast as you can to their castle. You will 
overpower their guard, untie John, and hold the 
castle until I get back to it If I am in a very 


THE BATTLE 


225 

tight place one of you may come to help me. Do 

vou understand? ” 

•/ 

To make sure that they really did understand 
the plan thoroughly Giles made each boy tell him 
his own part in the undertaking. The more they 
considered the plan the more sensible and possible 
it appeared to them, and the more eager they were 
to try it out. Boys who had rather looked down 
upon Roger and who had scoffed at his desire to 
drive the enemy from their well-fortified castle, 
looked at the slight, little figure with new respect, 
as if the idea that Roger was a force to consider 
was a new one. The plan was told to the sentinel 
and preparations for carrying it out were put into 
motion. 

Several of the boys began to pile empty chicken- 
crates, which were waiting to be carried to the vil¬ 
lage, in a straight line from the castle toward the 
well. They were unnecessarily noisy about this, 
for they wished to direct the enemy’s attention 
away from what was happening at the other end of 
their castle. This was not strictly necessary, how¬ 
ever, for the slope of the land hid the small figure 
that, flat upon his stomach, was wriggling his way 
from the castle to a good-sized clump of bushes at 
some distance to the right of it. By the time that 
the barricade of chicken-coops extended as far as 
the limited number of them would reach, Roger 
was safely stowed away among the bushes, having 


226 


GILES OF THE STAR 


managed to reach this retreat unseen by the enemy. 

Meanwhile, Giles was being quite conspicuous. 
He put on insufferable airs. From one of the 
other pages he borrowed a brilliant red feather 
which, in plain sight of Gurth and his men, he 
fastened to his little cap. The feather had a 
jaunty air all its own and Giles was visibly 
pleased with it. He fairly strutted; then he dis¬ 
appeared into the castle. 

A few minutes later one of Gurth’s men clutched 
at his sleeve and pointed excitedly toward the row 
of chicken-coops on the other side of the courtyard. 
The tip of a bright red feather was visible for a 
moment, then disappeared only to reappear again 
in a few minutes, this time farther away from the 
castle and nearer to the tempting well. It was 
quite evident to Gurth that it was his arch enemy, 
Giles himself, who, in the most secret manner pos¬ 
sible, was trying to steal away the precious pail of 
water. This was much greater luck than Gurth 
had expected as a result of his plan, and he quite 
quivered with excitement at the prospect of cap¬ 
turing Giles. To capture Giles would raise him 
in the regard of the others. 

“ We’ll get him this time,” he said exultantly, 
“ and when I do-” He did not finish his sen¬ 

tence for, evidently, what he intended to do with 
Giles could not be put into words. It would take 
serious contemplation. Perhaps he would tie him 



THE BATTLE 


227 

up and drag him around to show to all the knights 
and squires. Gurth thought that his cup of happi¬ 
ness would be filled if he could tie Giles to a tree, 
capture his castle, and then show his brother, Si- 
bert, how extremely clever he was. 

Meanwhile, the red feather still flaunted itself 
over the top of the chicken-coops and every mo¬ 
ment it drew nearer to the gooseberry-bushes that 
grew not far from the well. In front of the well 
was the pail of water. 

“ We will let him get nearly to the pail before 
we go after him,” whispered Gurth. “ It will 
seem all the worse if he nearly gets what he is 
after. Paul and Cedric and I will go after him. 
Plan to cut him off from the rest of the enemy. 
We must capture him.” 

Meanwhile Giles, taking the utmost care to 
seem to be trying to keep out of sight, warily drew 
nearer to the well. Roger, trembling with ex¬ 
citement in the clump of bushes to the right, kept 
eager watch for the proper moment for his signal 
and the other boys, tense with interest and quiver¬ 
ing with zeal to be up and doing, crouched behind 
their poorly-made castle, waiting for the moment 
to rush out. 

Giles reached the gooseberry-bushes. A short, 
quick dash for the well lay before him but, for a 
moment, he hesitated. A hasty glance behind him 
showed that his men were ready and that Roger 


228 


GILES OF THE STAR 


was safely in hiding, then, rising swiftly to his 
feet, he sped for the well. He did not reach it, for 
Gurth and his followers rushed to intercept him. 
Giving a wild yell, which was the signal decided 
upon to call forth his knights, he ran straight 
across the courtyard. Out rushed his knights to 
his rescue. For a moment or two none of Gurth’s 
men, whom he had left to guard the castle, real¬ 
ized that Giles’s castle was left unguarded. It was 
John, the prisoner, who called their attention to 
the fact, unwittingly doing his side a good turn, 
although unintentionally. He was by far the most 
stupid of Giles’s men. That was why he was so 
easily captured, but he was a jolly, pleasant fel¬ 
low so it was impossible not to like him. He had 
been the last to be chosen, because of this stupidity. 

Seeing that his castle was entirely unguarded, 
he yelled, “ Back, you fools, the enemy will get 
your castle.” 

“Why, so we can,” exclaimed one of Gurth’s 
guards. “ Come on, fellows. William and James 
stay here on guard and the rest come with me! ” 

Again John shrieked a warning, and would have 
continued shrieking had not William gagged him. 
Straight across the field Gurth’s men ran, paying 
no attention to the race Giles was leading Gurth 
and his two followers, for they were intent only 
on the capture of Giles’s castle, but there was one, 
a small boy in hiding, who was keeping close track 



Then, rising swiftly to his feet, he sped for the well 

Page 228. 




THE BATTLE 


229 

of all participants in the fight. As soon as the three 
enemies had come within ten feet of the Castle of 
the Star, Roger gave his signal, two loud, ringing 
calls. 

To a man, the forces of the Star wheeled about 
and started on the run for Gurth’s castle. The 
dazed enemy did not, at first, realize what this 
change in course meant. They gazed blankly from 
the deserted Giles, still followed by three of their 
men, to the rest of Giles’s army, running away 
from him. A shout, a cry for help from their own 
men who had been left to guard the castle, warned 
them of what it all meant, but it was too late to go 
to their rescue. Five to two, they were shortly 
overcome. John was unbound, and the very cords 
that had been tied about him were used to bind the 
two who had been left to guard him. 

Meanwhile, what of Giles? He was by far the 
fastest runner of all the pages, with one exception. 
That was Gurth himself, and it was Gurth, with 
two to help him, who was after Giles. The shout¬ 
ing of his own men, and the cheering of the oppos¬ 
ing side told Gurth how the battle had been going 
behind him. He readily saw that his whole hope 
lay in capturing Giles, for with their leader a pris¬ 
oner his men would be forced to come to terms. 

“ We’ve got to capture him, lads,” he shouted 
hoarsely to his men. “ We are lost if we do not. 
They will give anything to regain their leader.” 


230 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“We’ll get him,” called Cedric reassuringly. 
“ We are three to one.” 

A quick backward glance showed Giles that the 
enemy was between him and his own men, and that 
his men had been successful in capturing the other 
better castle, even if they had lost their own in so 
doing. A forward glance showed him that if he 
did not change his plan and swerve toward another 
direction, he would be trapped. His backward 
glance had also shown that Gurth’s men were 
somewhat separated and that several of the real 
grown-up knights, among them Lord Sibert, were 
watching the game. Changing his course abruptly, 
he came running at top speed toward his followers. 
Choosing the one enemy he considered weakest, he 
charged straight at him with lowered head. Much 
as a goat would attack his enemy he came. The 
boy spread out his arms to stop him, but it was just 
about as easy to try to stop the oncoming rush of 
a bull. Giles’s head struck his adversary in the pit 
of the stomach, causing that young gentleman to 
double up like a modern jack-knife and sit down 
hard. That put him out of the race for he didn’t 
get his breath for several minutes, but there were 
two left, running rather closely together and still 
between him and safety. 

By this time Giles’s men had the enemy’s castle 
in their hands and had neatly trussed up the two 
guards. A warning shout from Roger, who still 


THE BATTLE 


231 

was keeping thorough watch on all sides of the 
affair, called their attention to the plight that Giles 
was in. Anxious to wipe away the disgrace of his 
capture, John ran to the rescue. Leaving Gurth 
to Giles, John attacked Paul and, having had a 
chance to rest while a prisoner, he soon overcame 
him and dragged him back to the castle. 

Giles no longer ran from Gurth. Instead, he 
came to meet him and, at last, Gurth of Lichester 
and Giles of the Star stood face to face at the be¬ 
ginning of their trial for supremacy. The fight 
that ensued was long talked of among the pages. 
There were often fights among the boys, for it was 
an age of fighting, and the boy who could not hold 
his own among the other boys was considered a 
weakling and treated with contempt. But such a 
fight as this was different. Gurth had never been 
downed in any fight with a boy his own age and 
build. Neither had Giles. Gurth had come out 
victor in many encounters with the other boys. 
Giles had seldom fought with other boys, but he 
and Anselm had had many a friendly tussle to¬ 
gether. Both boys were fully determined to win, 
and the struggle was glorious to them. 

There was no interference from any of the other 
boys, for that was against the rules of the game. 
Over and over, up and down! Clothing was torn 
into ribbons. At last Giles’s outdoor life and the 
strength that such life gives, began to tell. Gurth’s 


GILES OF THE STAR 


232 

breathing became short and quick; his endurance 
was weakening. As if he realized this, Giles put 
forth every ounce of his strength and his enemy 
fell. Giles had won! Panting and slightly dizzy 
after the exertion, he rose amid the cheers of his 
men and handed over his prisoner to John who, 
having taken his own prisoner to the castle, had 
returned to the place of battle. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Knights of 
the Star had won. Only three of the enemy re¬ 
mained uncaptured, big Anstruther among them. 
The fight was over but this account would not be 
complete without one added detail. When Roger 
gave his last warning Anstruther noted the place 
where he was hidden. In the fury of the ensuing 
fight he forgot all about Roger, till Gurth was 
finally made prisoner. Then, knowing his own 
time was about to come and anxious to do one more 
deed of valor before that time came, he ran out 
to capture Roger. 

Roger, seeing him coming, fled, but what chance 
did he have against the long legs and tireless 
strength of the big fellow? As Anstruther was 
about to seize his small victim, Roger ducked un¬ 
der his arm, at the same time extending a leg over 
which Anstruther promptly fell. Roger at once 
fell upon him, calling loudly for assistance, where¬ 
upon the big fellow scrambled to his feet, with 
Roger clinging to his back like a burr. 


THE BATTLE 


233 

“ I’ve got him! I’ve got him!” he shrieked at 
the top of his lungs. Unable to shake the little 
fellow off and dizzy from his fall, Anstruther stag¬ 
gered toward the fort he had helped to build for¬ 
getting, for a moment, that it was in the hands of 
his enemy. By the time his wits came back to 
him, he was surrounded and tied up with the other 
prisoners, to the huge delight of all the pages. 

. It was a very long time before big Anstruther 
was allowed to forget that he, the strong and 
mighty, had been captured by Roger, the weak 
and small. That day marked a great change in the 
attitude of all the boys toward Roger, for the news 
spread that the brilliant plan, the following of 
which had resulted in success for Giles and his 
men, had been suggested by the little fellow they 
had all despised as a weakling. Roger and Giles 
became the closest of friends, but, as for Gurth, his 
heart was sore and bitter. 


CHAPTER XX 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 

Several days after the mock battle, Gurth, on 
his way to the big hall with a message to his father, 
arrived just in time to hear Giles’s name spoken. 
Seeing that his father was talking with one of the 
older men about the castle he stopped at the door 
rather than interrupt. Gurth had been hating 
Giles very cordially since the day of his own de¬ 
feat, so the words of praise upon his father’s lips 
for his enemy were very bitter to the high-spirited 
boy. 

“ That boy has pluck,” his father was saying. 
“ It was only boy’s play, but the lad showed his 
worth for all of that.” 

Gurth quite writhed at the memory of his own 
defeat. To be outwitted was bad enough, but to 
be tied up by a peasant boy was a great deal worse. 
Gurth was quite sure that he would never be able 
to live down this disgrace. 

He had not intended to listen to affairs not 
meant for his ears. His mind was brooding on the 
insult to which his dignity had been exposed. As 
he stood there, two or three bits of the conversa¬ 
tion came to his ears. One was about the mys- 

234 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 235 

terious uncle concerning whose bravery there were 
so many tales. To Gurth the uncle, who had been 
considered dead for twelve long years only to come 
back very much alive, was something of a hero. 
Had he not been a wonderful fighter? Even now 
he was absent on a most difficult and. dangerous 
errand. 

“ Anselm wants me to give his boy a chance to 
show his worth,” Lord Sibert was saying. “ I had 
planned to send my son on this mission, but have 
changed my mind. He is too hot-headed and heed¬ 
less. Job needs a thoughtful boy with him, one 
that will follow out directions exactly as they are 
given. Tell him to report to Job, and take orders 
from him! ” 

“ Do you intend to send another page with 
him?” asked old Ralph. 

“Yes, there are others that can show him the 
way,” replied Lord Sibert. “ Yet it is to Giles that 
I want the command to be given. I cannot stop 
to give the order myself, for I must ride to Liches- 
ter Town. Til leave it in your hands. Let the 
boy choose his own companion, if you think fit.” 

“ He will probably choose Roger,” replied old 
Ralph with a shake of his head. “ The two are 
the best of friends, but Roger scarcely seems strong 
enough. I would suggest another.” 

“ I’ll leave it to you,” replied Sibert rising sud¬ 
denly. “ I must depart at once.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


236 

Gurth’s heart was heavy. His father had left 
the hall by another door, but the boy did not fol¬ 
low him. He had forgotten the fact that one of 
his father’s spies had just reached the castle and 
had asked to be reported to Lord Sibert. All he 
could think of was the fact that Giles was being 
honored and he, the son of Sibert himself, dis¬ 
graced. His father was giving the mission in¬ 
tended for him to another, and that other his 
enemy. He thought how wonderful it would have 
been if he was sent on the important errand with 
Giles, sent as his servant, to wait upon him. He 
was sitting on the doorstep engaged in this flight 
of imagination when Ralph came to the door. 

u Ho, Gurth!” he exclaimed. “ Can you tell 
me where I may find Giles of the Star? ” Gurth 
flushed deeply, for since the mock battle both pages 
and men-at-arms had called the peasant boy of 
Avalon, Giles of the Star. The title made Gurth 
furious, whenever he heard it. 

“ Don’t talk to me of Giles, the peasant boy,” he 
said angrily. u I will hold no conversation with 
him. If you would speak with him, you will find 
him in the smithy.” 

Ralph’s eyes narrowed. Like most of the men 
of Lichester, he disliked the haughty ways and in¬ 
solence of Lord Sibert’s youngest son. A gleam 
came into his eyes as he thought of a scheme which 
he felt sure would humble Gurth to the very dust. 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 237 

He would send Gurth as Giles’s companion, and 
give him orders to obey his enemy in all things. 
The idea so pleased the old man that he chuckled 
aloud. 

“ Your father will send Giles as a messenger 
from him to Job, the spy,” he said softly, “and 
you,” he paused, “ are to go with him as his com¬ 
panion and servant.” 

The color flamed up into Gurth’s face and his 
hands clenched by his side. He was furious and 
hot words of refusal sprang to his lips. 

“ I won’t,” he cried, “ I won’t, won’t, won’t! ” 

Old Ralph caught the boy by the arm and shook 
him as hard as he could. It was the duty of a page 
to obey all people in authority. 

“ You will do as I say,” he said, giving the boy’s 
arm a jerk. 

“ I won’t,” cried Gurth as before. Ralph struck 
him heavily across the mouth. 

“ I can drag you to young Giles and make you 
tell him under the lash,” he said dryly. “ You are 
going with him and under his orders. You are 
going to him now, telling him to come to me for 
orders. Return with him. If you do not obey 
me, you shall be lashed by the whip before all of 
the other pages.” 

Ralph’s words were as good as law. On think¬ 
ing it over, Gurth decided that it would be better 
to obey than to face consequences. Very slowly 


GILES OF THE STAR 


738 

he started toward the smithy where he knew Giles 
was. As he turned away, Ralph called after him. 

“ Tell him to report to me at the close of the 
meal,” he said. 

Very slowly indeed Gurth made his way to the 
place where he had last seen his enemy. His heart 
was heavy as he started, and he was furiously 
angry. Never would he take orders from a peas¬ 
ant. A tiny smile came to his face. He saw a 
way out of the difficulty. 

As soon as he saw old Ralph had returned to the 
hall he put to his heels and was soon inside the 
smithy, where he found Giles deeply absorbed in 
a story the smith was telling about Anselm and 
the plain-hilted sword. 

“ Perfectly plain I made the hilt,” he was say¬ 
ing, “ but it was at his bidding. ‘ When I have 
deserved to have it decorated I will come to you 
but, until I have done some deed of valor, I will 
carry a plain sword,’ he told me. When he came 
to the castle several weeks ago I spoke with him 
on the matter and asked if the time was not yet 
ripe for his sword to bear the stamp of his nobility 
but he refused, saying sadly, ‘ Not yet, friend, for 
my work is not yet finished.’ ” 

“ Giles,” broke in Gurth’s voice from the door¬ 
way, “ I have a message for you from my father. 
Come out here that I may give it to you in pri¬ 
vate.” 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 239 

Giles followed Gurth outside. As soon as they 
were at some distance from the smithy his guide 
leaned toward him and whispered, “ My father is 
sending me on an important mission, and you are 
to go with me as my servant. He is sending you 
because you are a peasant and should learn to wait 
upon the nobility.” 

Giles set his teeth together firmly to hold back 
the hot words which seethed in his heart. Of all 
distasteful tasks that could be devised by man, this, 
to serve one whom he both disliked and in a 
measure scorned, was perhaps the most bitter. 
However disagreeable the task might be, if Lord 
Sibert had given the command, it was a part of his 
training in knighthood to obey, and to obey cheer¬ 
fully. Knights were often called upon to do hard 
tasks. 

“ When are we going to start? ” he asked shortly. 

“Now,” replied Gurth with an apprehensive 
glance over his shoulder. The sooner they left 
Lichester the better for his plan, for it was nearly 
time for the meal after which old Ralph was to 
put Giles in command. “We have got to start 
now and travel in secret as quickly as possible. Go 
to the castle and change your clothing for your 
peasant smock. Then put on your cape, that your 
clothing may be seen by none in the castle. Above 
all, do not tell a word of what I have told you to 
any of the other pages or knights. It is a secret, 


2 4 o GILES OF THE STAR 

and I command you to keep it as such. Do you 
promise? ” 

Giles nodded, then, with a heavy heart, turned 
from his companion and went to his narrow, cell¬ 
like room to remove his attractive castle clothing 
for the rags in which he had come to Lichester— 
rags which he had hoped never to wear again. 
Good food, exercise, and the work he loved, had 
made him grow rapidly since he had come to the 
castle, and his old clothing seemed small for him. 

Throwing his long cape about him to hide his 
rags from the view of any of the castle folk, he 
started toward the courtyard, hoping that he 
would meet no one who would know him. On 
his way he met the Lady Millicent. Although he 
thought that his cape hid his clothing from view 
a bit of the blue smock showed, which Millicent 
was quick to recognize. 

“ You are going in disguise,” she said. “ It is a 
wise plan for, if you should chance to meet with 
any of Gillies’s men, it would go hard with you 
if you were dressed in the garb of Lichester.” 

Giles looked at her in open-mouthed surprise. 
Gurth had told him that the venture was an im¬ 
portant secret that must not be revealed, and yet 
Lady Millicent, who was only a slip of a girl, 
seemed to know not only that they were to go but 
that they might run into the enemy as well. 

“ I was so pleased and proud when I heard 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 241 

Uncle Sibert and Aunt Constance praising you,” 
she went on. “ I heard him tell her that he was 
going to give you a chance to prove yourself 
worthy of the training you are receiving.” 

“Did he praise me?” asked Giles, his face 
alight with pleasure. “ I am so glad that you told 
me. Now I can put up with all the hardships and 
the disagreeableness that come up with a good will. 
I shall do my best to live up to what he and An¬ 
selm expect of me.” 

“ You must not forget that you are my Knight 
of the Star as well,” she said softly. “ It was to 
me that you first swore fealty and, really, you are 
the only knight I have, since I have lost my castle 
and lands. See,” she continued drawing from her 
bodice a shining crimson scarf, “ here is my token 
for you. Let me tie it about your arm.” 

Giles slipped the long cape from his shoulders 
and stood with it over one arm while she tied the 
scarf about the other. 

u There,” she said, with a final pat to the bow 
she had tied. u That means that I have chosen you 
to be my knight, and that you are pledged to do 
brave deeds in my name.” 

Giles slipped his cape about him, and together 
they left the castle for the courtyard. 

Now, while Giles had been changing his cloth¬ 
ing, Gurth had made the discovery that all the 
other pages knew that the honor of being messen- 



GILES OF THE STAR 


242 

ger to Job from Lord Sibert was to be given to 
Giles, and that it was to be kept a secret from him 
until after the meal. This knowledge alarmed 
Gurth, for it was going to be hard for him to get 
Giles out of the castle without having him suspect 
that anything was wrong. 

As they left the castle, Millicent saw Roger sit¬ 
ting on the well-curb. 

“ I suppose you will take him/’ she said to Giles. 

“ I wish that it was Roger who was going,” he 

replied sadly. “Taking orders from- Oh, 

well, complaining will do no good. All things in 
this world cannot be just as we would have them, 
little comrade, and, by the crimson scarf about my 
arm, I will do my best.” 

Hastily lifting her hand he kissed the small pink 
fingers in the courtly fashion of the day, then hur¬ 
ried off, leaving Millicent perplexed and worried. 
In the first place she was surprised that Giles knew 
anything about the affair for, from what her uncle 
had said, she thought that the honor was to be 
awarded him at the close of the meal. She had 
supposed that he would take Roger with him for a 
companion, for the two had been like brothers 
since the mock battle. She could not explain the 
change of plans and, therefore, it was with a 
troubled heart that she returned to her tapestry 
frame and took up her unfinished work. 

Lord Sibert did not return to the castle for the 



GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 243 

noon meal. Both Giles and Gurth were also ab¬ 
sent from their places, but not until Ralph sent one 
of the other pages to look for them, were they 
missed by any one. 

In spite of a thorough search, no trace could be 
found of either boy. Lady Millicent, who could 
have thrown some light on the matter, had re¬ 
turned to her tapestry-making at the close of the 
meal, and it was not until Roger, with a white, 
frightened face, came to her that she realized that 
anything was amiss. 

“ Why, he has gone upon the mission,” she ex¬ 
claimed. “ I saw him as he left the castle, and we 
talked about the matter just before he went.” 

“ Do you mean that you told him that he was to 
go upon a mission and what the mission was?” 
asked Roger almost accusingly. 

“ He knew,” replied Millicent. u He was 
dressed in readiness for the adventure. He was 
sad about going, but pledged that he would do his 
best.” 

Roger looked at her as if he could hardly be¬ 
lieve his ears. Why, every page and knight in the 
castle knew that an honor was being done to him. 
How could he be sad at being given a task that 
every other page in the courtyard would be over¬ 
joyed at having? 

“ But Ralph has not given him his commands,” 
he said. 


2 44 


GILES OF THE STAR 


“ Let’s go to Ralph,” replied Millicent. “ Then 
I can tell him what he said to me.” 

Roger nodded assent. Millicent could see that 
he was feeling worried, and unhappy as well. She 
knew that Roger was fond of Giles and that he 
was hurt not to be chosen to go with him. Poor 
Roger! Millicent’s tender heart ached for him. 
It was true that his body was not as strong as 
the bodies of the other pages, but surely his heart 
and brain more than made up for lack of strength. 
It was Giles who had first seen his worth, and it 
was he who had befriended him. Since the mock 
battle Roger had come into his own, for it was his 
counsel that Giles had acted upon, and it was this 
counsel, coupled with Giles’s cleverness and dash¬ 
ing bravery, that had won that battle. 

“ Have you quarreled with Giles? ” asked Mil¬ 
licent, trying to find out the reason why he had 
been left in favor of another. 

“Indeed, no!” he replied. “I have not seen 
him since early morning, for our duties have not 
been the same. He did not even come to me to 
bid me farewell.” 

“Are you angry with him?” persisted Milli¬ 
cent. 

“ No,” answered Roger. “ I am not angry. I 
care too much for him for that, but I would will- 
ingly give the last five years of my life to be as 
strong and able to do things as he is.” 


GURTH GETS THE UPPER HAND 245 

They walked on in silence for a moment, then 
Roger spoke. 

“ What I can’t understand is, why he should go 
off without orders from old Ralph. Some of the 
other pages, those who are so fond of Gurth, say 
that they think he is a traitor who has run off to 
sell the secrets of Lichester to Gillies’s men. I told 
them that it was a black lie.” 

“ There is something strange about this whole 
matter,” said Millicent with a shake of her curls. 
“ Oh, look! They are letting the drawbridge 
down.” 

The two children ran to the door of the gate, 
feeling almost sure that Lord Sibert was return¬ 
ing from Lichester Town, but it was not he. A 
weary man, gray with the dust of the road, entered 
the courtyard as soon as the drawbridge was low¬ 
ered. His face was lined with exhaustion and 
sorrow. Quite a group of the castle inmates ran 
up to hear the news that he had come to tell, but 
he asked only for Lord Sibert. Upon being told 
that he was away, he turned to Ralph. 

“ A raid was made upon the houses belonging to 
Lichester, but nearest to Lord Gillies’s land,” he 
said. “ Most of the people had fled to the woods 
and were unharmed, but Job, the spy, fell into 
their hands and was killed. The enemy have re¬ 
treated back to Gillies, but Job is dead.” 


CHAPTER XXI 


TO THE RESCUE 

For a moment there was a stunned silence, then 
a howl of rage and vengeance went up from the 
pages and knights in the courtyard, for Job was a 
favorite with the men and older boys of the castle. 
For a moment, the result of this blow was not 
realized by either Millicent or Roger. Then, like 
a flash, came the thought—what of Giles and the 
other page that sallied forth that morning to report 
to Job? They were walking right into unavoid¬ 
able danger, and doing so all unknowingly. 

“ Well,” exclaimed Ralph in relief, “ I am 
glad that Giles was hidden so that I did not give 
him my message at the time planned. It would 
be like sending the lad into the jaws of death, to 
send him to land captured by the Gillies devils.” 

Millicent sprang forward and caught the old 
man by the arm. 

“If you didn’t send him, who did?” she ex¬ 
claimed. “ I know that he left the castle this 
morning on a mission for Lord Sibert, because he 
was dressed ready for leaving in his peasant garb. 
He was not at the table during the meals, nor was 
he anywhere to be found when you sent pages to 
look for him.” 


246 


TO THE RESCUE 


247 

Ralph looked at the girl as if he could not take 
in what she was trying to tell him. 

“ Left the castle? ” he repeated stupidly. “ He 
could not have left the castle, for it is against the 
rules for any one to leave or enter without per¬ 
mission. No one gave him that permission or told 
him what his mission was to be. You must be mis¬ 
taken, Lady Millicent.” 

“ I am not mistaken, for I tied my crimson scarf 
about his arm and bade him farewell,” she replied 
almost sobbing. “ If you search for him all over 
the castle you will not find him, for he has gone.” 

Without answering Ralph strode up to the man- 
at-arms on guard at the drawbridge. 

“ Did you let two boys pass out this morning, 
John? ” he asked. 

Much to Millicent’s surprise the man shook his 
head. Where could Giles be? If he had not 
passed by that gate and drawbridge he must be in 
the castle grounds, and Roger and all the other 
pages were very sure that he was nowhere about. 

“ Isn’t there any way by which he could have 
left the castle unobserved?” asked Sibert, the 
squire, who was one of the onlookers. 

“ There is a secret way,” replied Ralph with a 
shake of his head, “ but that way is unknown to 
him. Indeed, it is known only to your father, 
mother, yourself, and young Gurth. That is one 
of the secrets of the family.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


248 

At the name of young Gurth, Roger gave a little 
start, for the thought had just come to him that 
Gurth of Lichester was also missing. He remem¬ 
bered that he had not seen that young man all 
morning. Several possibilities flashed into his 
head. Giles had not gone alone. Could it be that 
he had taken Gurth with him? That seemed 
hardly possible, for there was such a decided dis¬ 
like between the two boys. And yet- 

There was the clear sound of the horn and again 
the drawbridge was lowered. This time it was 
Lord Sibert himself, clad in steel armor and rid¬ 
ing on a war horse that thundered across the draw¬ 
bridge, followed by a small group of knights and 
men-at-arms. That he had heard the sad news 
concerning Job was evident, for his first question 
was, “ Where is young Giles of Avalon? ” 

“ We don’t know,” replied Ralph. “ The guard 
at the gate says that no two boys have passed 
through the gate, but Giles is missing. The 
whereabouts of your son, Gurth, is also unknown.” 

Lord Sibert gathered his reins into one hand 
and, with infinite care, for his armor was heavy 
and unwieldy, dismounted. As soon as he was on 
the ground, Millicent and Roger were at his side. 

“ He’s gone, Uncle Sibert, for he bade me good- 
by this morning,” exclaimed Millicent. “ He told 
me that he must hurry off upon a mission for you. 
He seemed to know about what you wanted him to 



TO THE RESCUE 249 

do, and yet Ralph swears that he did not give him 
his orders.” 

“ Who was his companion? ” asked Lord Sibert 
drawing both children toward the hall, and mo¬ 
tioning to Ralph to follow. “ I expected that he 
would choose you, Roger.” 

“ He wanted Roger,” put in Millicent, screwing 
up her pretty forehead in order to think better. 
“ He told me so, but then he said something else 
that I can’t remember.” 

Ralph looked uncomfortable. He had just re¬ 
membered that he had told Gurth to ask Giles to 
report after the meal, and that he had also told 
Gurth that he would be obliged to take orders 
from Giles. Neither boy had been at the meal. 
Perhaps Gurth had not given the message, but 
where, where could they be? When he had as¬ 
signed Gurth as Giles’s companion he had thought 
it a rather clever thing to do, but now in the light 
of the new trouble it seemed to him to be rather 
stupid. 

The mission on which Giles was to be sent would 
not have been a dangerous one had all gone as had 
been planned, but now Job was dead and the 
enemy had overrun the place where he had been. 
Giles and his companion knew nothing about Job’s 
death. They would walk into the danger, not 
knowing that danger was near. Two boys who 
disliked each other as thoroughly as did Giles and 


GILES OF THE STAR 


250 

Gurth would have difficulty in working together 
peacefully or well. Had Ralph known that Gurth 
had not given the message straight and that he had 
assumed the lead, he would have been even more 
troubled. 

“ Which of the pages did you send with Giles? ” 
asked Lord Sibert. 

“ Your son,” replied Ralph. “ I thought that it 
would be good for his pride, to be obliged for a 
while to take orders from his inferior. He is due 
for a bad fall if he does not conquer his fault.” 

Now, Lord Sibert was perfectly just. The fact 
that he was Gurth’s father did not in the least blind 
him to his son’s faults. However, he was wise 
enough to see that it would be folly of the worst 
sort to expect the high-spirited Gurth to take or¬ 
ders from one so young and in such a humble posi¬ 
tion as Giles. 

“ There is no gainsaying that my son needs a 
lesson,” he said dryly, “ and it will be such a lesson 
as life itself will teach to him before his hair is 
gray, but I should not try to teach it at such a time 
as this when a mistake may cause the death of both 
boys. Gurth is hot-headed and impulsive. He 
will not take kindly to high-handed ways.” 

A mist came into the old man’s eyes. 

“ I was wrong, very wrong,” he muttered. “ I 
told him to find Giles and tell him that he was to re¬ 
port to me for further orders, but he did not come 


TO THE RESCUE 


251 

nor did Gurth. I told Gurth that he would be 
under Giles’s orders, at which he was very angry.” 

“ But Gurth wasn’t under Giles’s orders,” ex¬ 
claimed Millicent, a sudden gleam of understand¬ 
ing flashing over her face. “When I last saw 
Giles he was dressed in his peasant garb. I know, 
for although at first he was all wrapped up in his 
long cape I saw a tattered bit of blue between its 
folds which I recognized. I saw how he was clad 
when I tied my scarf about his arm. Just before 
seeing Giles, I saw Gurth. He was dressed in his 
uniform of a page. Besides, Giles was not as 
happy as he would have been if he were about to 
be intrusted with an important mission. I could 
not understand it for, to me, being given this task 
was such an honor. I remember now that he said 
something about being under some one’s command 
and about doing bravely a thing that was difficult.” 

“ Do you think that my son did not give the 
right message to Giles? ” asked Lord Sibert 
sternly. 

Tears came into Lady Millicent’s eyes, for he 
had never spoken to her so harshly before. 

“ I do not know,” replied the child sadly. 

“ It looks like it,” broke in Ralph excitedly. “ I 
recall now that he did not make so much of a fuss 
about carrying my message as I expected.” 

“ They did not go through the big gate and 
across the drawbridge,” put in Roger, “ and only 


252 . GILES OF THE STAR 

the members of the house of Lichester know the 
secret path from the chapel to the wood outside 
the walls.” 

Lord Sibert rose hastily. That every moment 
his son and the boy his brother Anselm loved so 
dearly were drawing nearer to danger, he knew. 
They must be stopped before they reached the 
place where Job had been stationed. Going to the 
courtyard he ordered several of the knights to take 
their horses and ride to the town that lay nearest to 
the land of Lord Gillies, keeping close lookout for 
the pages that were missing. 

“ They won’t find them,” said Roger gloomily. 
“ Giles will keep close to the woods and will leave 
the highways. I wish that I were with him.” 

“ They wouldn’t let you go,” said Millicent posi¬ 
tively. 

“ And yet I am the boy that Giles would have 
taken with him had he been given his choice, as 
Lord Sibert has suggested,” he replied. “ I should 
be with him now. Two heads are better than 
one any time, and Gurth will be a menace rather 
than a help. Millicent, if I could manage it, I 
would go to him.” 

As they talked, they had approached the well in 
the courtyard. A wagon-load of squawking hens 
had just been driven into the yard. These were 
being unloaded not far from the well. Since the 
news of Job’s death had reached the castle there 


TO THE RESCUE 


253 

were new signs of preparation for a long siege. 
The burned houses and the death of Job told the 
defenders of the castle that, at last, the enemy was 
getting ready to strike. Millicent pointed to one 
of the empty wagons which was leaving the castle 
grounds. 

“ If I wanted to follow after Giles, I should try 
to leave the castle in one of those wagons. If I 
was a boy I should do it, but I know that I should 
be worse than useless to him for I’m nothing but a 
girl.” She spoke bitterly. 

“ Well, anyway, you have given me an idea,” 
Roger said enthusiastically. 

A few moments later he was bargaining with a 
ragged little peasant, who had been helping his 
father unload. To him he offered a suit of castle 
clothing in exchange for his ragged smock. This 
offer was promptly accepted and the exchange was 
made. No one noticed. Every one was too busy 
with the preparation for war to take heed of simple 
little peasant boys. The empty chicken-coops were 
piled up in the wagon, which went creaking and 
jolting to the drawbridge. No one noticed the 
little figure in patched faded blue that crouched 
inside one of the coops. The guard lowered the 
bridge and the wagon creaked over it. Roger, 
crouched inside the coop, peeped out and saw the 
huge ropes pull the drawbridge into place. He 
was outside the castle in safety. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


254 

Meanwhile, what of Giles and Gurth? They 
had gone directly from the courtyard to the chapel. 
There Giles had knelt, while Gurth tied about his 
eyes a bandage. 

“ It would never do for a common peasant to 
learn the secrets of Lichester Castle,” he had said, 
as he tied the cloth about Giles’s eyes. Giles heard 
the sliding of a panel and felt the damp, cold air 
that rushed to meet them. Gurth had brought one 
of the torches and, by its flickering light, was able 
to see fairly well, but to Giles the way was hidden. 
It seemed that he stumbled along in darkness for 
ages. Although Gurth kept his hand upon Giles’s 
arm he was not particularly careful to guide him 
in the smoothest way and, because of this careless¬ 
ness, Giles got several unnecessary bumps. 

As they got nearly to the end of the passage 
Giles stubbed his toe and fell on the floor in such 
a way as to loosen the bandage across his eyes. As 
he picked himself up he saw, in the dim light be¬ 
fore him, Gurth standing in the doorway that 
seemed to lead into a cellar beyond. The bandage 
was only several seconds from his eyes, but in those 
seconds Giles marked well the position of that 
door. 

Gurth led him across a stone floor and up a steep 
flight of stone stairs. A few minutes later they 
stepped out into the warm sunlight. Giles could 
feel it upon his head and hands in spite of his 


255 


TO THE RESCUE 

blindfolded eyes. Gurth was cautious, very cau¬ 
tious, for he led Giles quite a way before he al¬ 
lowed him to remove the bandage which he had 
fastened about his eyes but, because all this care 
was useless, Giles smiled. His one glance, when 
the bandage fell from his eyes, had given him a 
very clear notion of where he was. The marshi¬ 
ness of the ground beneath his feet confirmed his 
thought. The secret passage from Lichester Castle 
led to a ruined stone structure of an earlier time, 
which stood in a marsh not more than a mile from 
Lichester Castle. 

It is not necessary to tell much about the first 
part of that journey. Gurth kept well to the un¬ 
derbrush and woods. Both boys were careful to 
move quietly, not desiring to betray their presence 
to any of the people that might be passing. 
Neither talked much. Gurth had given Giles very 
plainly to understand that he was master of the 
expedition, and that Giles was merely there to 
serve him. Giles was silent, because he found that 
any attempt at conversation from him merely 
called out a sarcastic retort from his comrade. 

However, such a state of affairs was unnatural 
and, before the sun had sunk into the west, the stiff 
silence was broken. Gurth’s deep admiration for 
Anselm led him to ask many questions about his 
hero and Giles, who loved Anselm like a father, 
was ready to talk of him. Very slowly the hard 


GILES OF THE STAR 


256 

feeling of dislike was beginning to melt and, al¬ 
though neither boy realized it, neither hated the 
other quite as heartily when they lay down to¬ 
gether beneath the stars. 

As they lay there, they talked in low whispers. 
Giles told how Anselm had met the burly Guilbert 
on Rhywick Hill, and how, by marvelous feats of 
swordsmanship and bravery, he had twisted the 
steel from his opponent’s hand. He told about the 
escape from Avalon, and how he and Millicent 
had lived for weeks with the Gypsies. And, as he 
listened, a feeling of envy came into the heart of 
Gurth. He, Gurth of the house of Lichester, was 
envying this boy whom he had called a common 
peasant, and wishing that he might have some such 
adventure as Giles had known. Yet, because the 
world was so big and so dark, and because there 
were strange night sounds all about him, he lay 
there trembling, seeming to hear Gypsies and the 
soldiers of Lord Gillies in every bush. Long after 
Giles was lying fast asleep, with his curly head 
resting upon his arm, Gurth lay awake with 
strange thoughts to keep him company. Never 
had the world seemed so big and awesome a place 
to him before. Far above him the stars shone 
faintly, half-veiled by the wind-tossed wisps of 
clouds that passed over them, between them and 
the sleeping earth. The wind rustled through the 
forest, setting the leaves to talking among them- 


TO THE RESCUE 


257 

selves, and slowly new thoughts came to the boy 
lying there upon the ground for the first time. 
Never had the world seemed so big, or he so small 
and insignificant. His trick, which had seemed so 
clever that morning, dwindled until it was shown 
to him in its true light—contemptible. 

It was a cowardly deed to take the command 
that was intended for another boy and now, lying 
in the light of the stars, he saw it in its true colors. 
People admired Giles because he was straightfor¬ 
ward, brave, and true. He knew that they did not 
care for him, and often it had hurt his feelings 
sadly. It had been Giles’s popularity that he had 
envied. Perhaps he could build his own character 
up in such a way as to make people admire and 
like him. He determined to begin this course of 
courage the very next day. He would confess his 
trick to Giles and turn over his command. Then, 
well pleased with his resolution and filled with an 
exalted feeling of having stepped into a new life, 
he wrapped his cape more closely about him and, 
rolled up in its folds, slept. 

Ah, yes, the night seemed wrapped in slumber, 
but things are not always what they seem! A 
weary little figure, clad in a ragged blue smock, 
slowly plodding its way along the road, two boys 
asleep on the hillside, one in the brave attire of 
castle garb, the other in the humble, shabby, blue 
of a peasant, and, near the hill, talking in whispers 


258 GILES OF THE STAR 

so guarded that they could not be heard a yard 
away, two men, one in the steel armor engraved 
with the mark of Gillies and the other, Alford of 
Avalon! 


CHAPTER XXII 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 

The next morning Giles awakened very early. 
He saw the dark shadows lift from the sleeping 
world. The stars faded away in the light of com¬ 
ing morning. There was a faint twitter of bird 
songs above his head and the wind barely fluttered 
the leaves. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his 
eyes, for a moment almost believing himself to be 
back at Avalon, but the sight of the sleeping Gurth 
recalled all to his mind. 

He stretched himself out luxuriously, blinked, 
and stretched himself again. It was a joy to be 
alive on such a glorious morning. It had been 
dusk the night before when they had chosen this 
place for sleeping-quarters. It had seemed to be 
well-sheltered and, being on a hill, would com¬ 
mand a good view of the country about. A tall 
pine-tree stood near by. So tall and straight was it 
that, to Giles, it seemed to be a gigantic finger 
pointing to the very sky. Now Giles was very 
agile, and he loved to climb trees. Besides, he had 
not climbed one since he had come to Lichester 
Castle. Aside from the temptation there was 
something to be gained by the ascent, for the whole 
countryside would be spread out before him. It 

259 


260 


GILES OF THE STAR 


would be well to know something about the coun¬ 
try through which they were to go. 

He scrambled to his feet and threw back his 
fair hair, unmindful of the bits of pine-needles 
and twigs enmeshed in it. Then, without wasting 
any time, he began to climb the tree, clinging to its 
stout trunk with both hands and knees. Up, up, 
and up he went, filled with the sheer joy of the 
climb. At last he reached the branch-crowned 
top of the tree and, with one leg swung comfort¬ 
ably over a branch and his arm about the trunk 
of the tree, he sat in perfect enjoyment. 

To the north across intervening fields, woods, 
and small thatch-covered homes, he could see the 
castle of Lichester, a huge bulk silhouetted 
against the rosy morning sky. To the southeast lay 
Lichester Town. It seemed very deserted. As 
Giles knew, this was partly due to the fact that it 
was very early in the morning, and partly because 
many of the villagers had either taken to the forest 
or come to the castle for safety from Lord Gillies. 

The thought of Lord Gillies drew his regard to 
the west, for he knew that was the direction in 
which his castle lay. The wind, which had been 
blowing from the northwest, shifted suddenly more 
to the west, bringing with it a whiff of smoke. 
There before him, though at some distance, lay 
desolation. What had once been a pretty group 
of thatched cottages was now a smouldering heap 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 261 


of ashes. There were no signs of people. Whether 
they had escaped into the forest before the attack, 
or whether they lay butchered by Lord Gillies’s 
men, Giles could not tell. 

Gurth had told him the night before that they 
would find Job in the vicinity, probably staying at 
one of the deserted cottages, but there were no cot¬ 
tages left. The whole place was marked with the 
spirit of death and desolation. Where was Job? 
Had he fled away into the forest, or had he been 
captured and tortured? 

All the joy that had been in Giles’s heart fled 
in view of the calamity that had overtaken 
Lichester. He had known that Lord Gillies was 
stronger than Lord Sibert, being able, as he was, 
to get help from John. He had known that Lord 
Sibert’s only chance lay in defending the castle, 
and holding it against the long tiring siege that 
would be imposed upon it. It would be Lord Gil¬ 
lies’s plan to starve them out. If Sibert could hold 
out until Richard returned to England, all would 
be well. If he could not hold out, the whole land 
would be given over to fire and the sword. Giles 
thus got his first sight of actual war from the tree- 
top and, looking down upon its hideousness, flam¬ 
ing anger came into his heart. 

“ If I ever get to be a knight,” he thought, “ I 
will not make war on women or children. I will 
not burn houses nor kill anything weaker than my- 


262 GILES OF THE STAR 

self. It is cowardly, and a knight should not be 
a coward.” 

Filled with a sense of horror at the results of 
the raid and anxious to impart his knowledge to 
Gurth, he slipped his leg over the branch and 
began to descend. He had hardly gone a yard 
when sounds from below made him pause. There 
was a sudden exclamation, followed by men’s 
voices and a boy’s scream of anger and warn¬ 
ing. Looking down through his screen of pine- 
needles Giles could see Gurth surrounded by 
seven or eight burly, mail-clad figures. Gurth 
was laying out vigorously with the cudgel he had 
provided himself with the night before, but it was 
an unequal fight at best. Giles could see that 
Gurth’s opponents were not trying to kill him. 
Their idea seemed to be to take him prisoner. 

Giles’s first impulse was to climb down the tree 
and fight with Gurth against the enemy, but his 
shrewd common sense showed him how foolish 
such a move would be. Two young boys could 
not hope for success against seven men. If Giles 
were captured all chance of escape would be cut 
off, for he would not be able to do anything to free 
Gurth if he were a captive himself. Being free, a 
chance might arise whereby he might rescue him, 
so he clung to his tree trunk watching, while Gurth 
was robbed of his cudgel and firmly bound to the 
very tree at the top of which he was sitting. 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 263 

The noise of the scuffle had served two other 
purposes, unknown to either Gurth or Giles. 
Roger, who had also awakened early that morning 
in his eagerness to find Giles and to warn him of 
danger, on his way up the other side of the hill, 
was warned of danger in time to hide himself 
securely. He was so near the scene of the struggle 
that he heard and recognized Gurth’s scream. 
Faint with fear for Giles, he crouched low in the 
thicket, wondering what to do next. 

Gurth’s scream had also attracted the attention 
of the two men who had been talking the night 
before. They came hurrying up the hill from 
the other side to find out the cause of the uproar. 

Lord Gillies was a short thick-set man with a 
very red face and small pig-like eyes. What there 
was of his neck was short and thick. A wicked¬ 
looking sword, scarred and battered by use, hung 
by his side. He leered at Gurth with an ex¬ 
pression of triumph, but it was not on this man 
that Giles’s attention was centered. The sight 
of his companion had sent a horrid chill down 
his spine, for here, in the company of the man 
who had determined to capture Lichester Castle, 
was the man he least wished to see, Lord Al¬ 
ford, uncle and enemy to Millicent of Avalon. 
Giles would have recognized the man anywhere. 
There was the tall, thin figure, the dark, sinister 
face upon which wickedness had set its seal, and 


GILES OF THE STAR 


264 

the shifty, untrustworthy eyes. Alford was at 
Lichester in the company of the man who had 

visions of leveling the castle to the ground. 

* 

Giles knew well enough why Alford was there. 
As long as the Lady Millicent, the rightful owner 
of the castle, was alive and in other hands than 
his own, his position as Lord of Avalon was inse¬ 
cure. He had, therefore, joined with Lord Gillies, 
with the understanding that when the castle fell 
the Lady Millicent would be turned over to him. 
All this Giles realized in a flash. It was the worst 
thing possible that Gurth should have fallen into 
the enemy’s hands, for it gave them a strong ad¬ 
vantage over those at Lichester. In those days 
boys were considered of infinitely more worth than 
girls. Lord Gillies might promise to give him up 
in exchange for the Lady Millicent. It would be 
dreadful to give a helpless little girl over to her 
enemy but, to save the life of his own son, Sibert 
might be tempted to do it. 

Then Giles realized that here was his chance to 
prove himself worthy of knighthood, and to repay 
Lord Sibert for the training he had given as well 
as to repay Anselm for the love and care he had 
always received at his hands. If he rescued Gurth, 
that would repay Lord Sibert. By rescuing Gurth 
he would be saving Lady Millicent. He had 
sworn fealty to her, and was bound by his promise 
to serve her. Everything depended upon his abil- 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 265 

ity to rescue Gurth. It would take a cool head 
and a good plan. 

Meanwhile, Gurth wriggled and twisted, but in 
vain, yet he did not call out to Giles. That did not 
mean, however, that he was silent, by any means. 
In a loud tone of voice he berated the men of Gil- 
lies. One of the men-at-arms gave him a cuff, at 
which he gave a loud bellow of pain and rage. 

**• 1 

“ What a coward! ” thought Giles as he sat there 
far above, listening. Surely he was talking and 
carrying on much more loudly than necessary. 
Giles had never seen him act in so babyish a 
fashion. He was wailing out his troubles as a pig 
about to be butchered would wail out his. Then 
understanding came to Giles. It was Gurth’s way 
of warning him of the danger that they were in. 
He would not let the enemy know that another boy 
was with him, but he did want Giles to know of the 
danger. 

“ I wish I could let him know where I am,” he 
thought to himself. “ I wonder how I could.” 

He twisted off a pine-twig and when the men, 
preparing their morning meal, were not looking 
he let it drop. Gurth did not seem to notice the 
fall of the first twig so Giles tried again. This 
time the bit of branch fell upon Gurth’s head. 
The third also hit him. He was tied in such a 
way that he was unable to look up, but Giles, from 
his high perch, saw him open and close his left 


266 GILES OF THE STAR 

hand three times and knew that he was aware of 
his presence. 

After the meal was over Gillies and Alford 
came to look at their prisoner. 

“ He is from Lichester Castle,” said the highly 
pleased Lord Gillies. “ I can tell by the cut of 
his clothing. What luck! We will make him tell 
us of the armament.” 

Gurth set his teeth together firmly and cast a 
look of deadly hate toward his hereditary enemy. 
Lord Alford leaned forward, looking closely at 
the boy’s face. 

“ It is even better than that,” he exclaimed ex¬ 
citedly. “ He is one of the family, probably a 
younger son of the lord of the castle.” 

“ Are you sure? ” broke in Lord Gillies. 

“ Sure! ” exclaimed Lord Alford. “ Of course, 
I am sure. You can’t mistake that face. I know 
the family well, for didn’t my older brother marry 
one of them in spite of the hatred that has existed 
between the two families for years! He paid for 
that marriage with his life, and she died from the 
shock of his death. But, no more of that matter. 
I know the family and I can trace the family like¬ 
ness in this lad.” 

They discussed their plans very freely as they 
partook of their morning meal. Both were in rare 
good spirits at the capture they had made. Giles 
gathered from their conversation that they had 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 267 

seen large numbers of Lord Sibert’s men riding 
about the countryside and that they intended to 
keep out of their way, as there were nine of 
them against many of Lord Sibert’s. They in¬ 
tended to take Gurth to Lord Gillies’s castle and 
from there send a message to his father. During 
the time between the sending of the message and 
its expected answer they would make a surprise 
attack on Lichester, hoping to take Lord Sibert off 
his guard. That meant that the attack would be 
made in a very short time. 

Meanwhile, not very far away in the thicket, 
Roger had seen the falling bits of bark. Like 
Gurth he had laid no importance upon the first nor 
on the second, but when the third was followed by 
a fourth he looked upward. A flutter of blue 
made his heart leap for joy, for it told him that 
while Giles was in a precarious place, still he was 
free. 

When the meal was over, Gurth was unbound 
from his tree and hurried off between two of the 
men-at-arms. As soon as the last man was out of 
sight Giles slipped from his perch, and carefully 
descended the tree. Much to his joy and surprise, 
he found Roger waiting for him below. Very 
quickly Roger told Giles of what had gone on at 
the castle since he had left it the previous morn¬ 
ing. He told him of the message that had been 
brought concerning the death of Job, and he also 


268 


GILES OF THE STAR 


told of how it was Lord Sibert’s plan that Giles, 
instead of Gurth, be in command. Giles listened 
to everything in amazement. 

“ I suppose you hate him even more for the trick 
he played on you,” said Roger. 

Giles hesitated. Of course it was a mean trick, 
and yet he found that he did not hate Gurth so 
badly as he felt that he should. Instead of hate, 
he found pity in his heart for his former enemy. 

u No,” he replied after a minute’s thought. “ I 
do not hate him. I almost like him. I think that 
if we had met each other under other circum¬ 
stances we should be friends. You see, he did not 
let any of them know that there was another boy 
from Lichester. It took courage and common 
sense not to call for my help when he was fighting 
all those men. Besides, after I let him know 
where I was, he did not betray me and he might 
have thought that, when I saw danger coming, I 
hid myself away without letting him know there 
was cause for fear. We’ve got to rescue him, 
Roger.” 

“ After playing so mean a trick on you, he ought 
to suffer the consequences,” grumbled Roger, who 
plainly was not in a forgiving frame of mind. 
“ However, I suppose you are right. How are 
we going to do it? ” 

u T he fate of the Lady Millicent of Avalon de¬ 
pends upon it,” replied Giles. 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 269 

“ Lady Millicent! 55 replied Roger in surprise. 
“ How is it possible that she is mixed up in this 
affair? ” 

In low, guarded tones Giles told Roger the story 
of how Lady Millicent had been obliged to flee 
away from her castle to escape from the plans of 
her uncle. He told him of their stay with the 
Gypsies. 

“ Lord Alford guessed that she was taken to her 
Uncle Sibert’s castle, and, when he found out that 
Lord Gillies was going to make an attack on 
Lichester, he offered him his help if he would 
promise to turn over the Lady Millicent to him. 
We must rescue Gurth to keep Lady Millicent 
from danger. 55 

“ That is all very well to talk about, 55 replied 
Roger, u but how, I ask you, are we going to do 
it? 55 

“ We must follow them,” replied Giles. “ Far¬ 
ther than that I do not know. 55 

They did not do much talking after that, for they 
did not want the sound of their own voices to be¬ 
tray them. It was not a hard task to trail the men 
they were following, for it was plain that they 
were not foresters. Both boys were thinking 
deeply but it seemed to no avail, for neither of 
them could think up a sensible plan. They were 
getting farther and farther from Lichester. It was 
a very hot day in late summer, for there was no 


GILES OF THE STAR 


270 

breath of wind stirring. It was quite a relief when 
at last Lord Gillies called a halt, and, after giving 
orders that the prisoner be securely bound to a 
tree, stretched himself out not far away to rest. 
His example was soon followed by the rest of the 
men. 

From his place of hiding, Giles saw that Gurth 
was so near to exhaustion that he hung limply 
against the tree. Every line of his body expressed 
weariness. An anxious glance at Roger showed 
that he, too, was nearly too tired to go farther. 

“We must separate,” he whispered in Roger’s 
ear. “ If we are both captured, Lord Sibert will 
get no word of warning. I am going to free 
Gurth. You go to yonder large rock and wait 
there for me. I will slip up to Gurth and cut him 
loose. I’ll whisper to him to slip away in the same 
direction. I’ll meet you later. If anything hap¬ 
pens to me, do not try to help me. Go back to the 
castle and tell all that I have told you to Lord 
Sibert.” 

“ I will do it,” replied Roger simply and, with¬ 
out wasting words or time, he crept off in the di¬ 
rection of the big rock. Fortunately for their 
plan the forest was well-wooded and there were 
many small trees behind which it was easy to hide. 
As soon as he had given Roger time to reach the 
rock in safety, Giles began to creep softly through 
the underbrush toward the tree where Gurth was 


AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 271 

bound. After getting as near as he dared he 
paused, to wait until tire heat should make the 
enemy sleepy. How long he had to wait he could 
not have told, but it seemed like a long time. For¬ 
tune and the stifling hot day favored him for, 
filled with good food and contentment, the men- 
at-arms stretched themselves out intending to sleep 
during the heat of the day. Giles felt himself 
growing sleepy during the long wait, but at last 
his patience was rewarded. There was no sign 
of life from the weary men. Trusting to their shel¬ 
tered position and to the fact that Gurth was se¬ 
curely bound, they had left no guard. 

Giles crept nearer, one hand upon his hunting- 
knife at his side. Nearer and nearer he crept, so 
quietly that hardly a twig crackled. Gurth him¬ 
self, who was the only one awake, did not see him 
until he was almost at his side. With a few, quick 
movements Giles cut the bonds that held him, al¬ 
lowing him to struggle free. At first his muscles 
were so stiff and sore that he could hardly move 
them. But Giles gave him no time. Hurriedly, 
they crossed the open space to the wood beyond. 
Giles was very careful to leave a clumsy trail be¬ 
hind him. He scuffed at the ground beneath his 
feet. As soon as they reached the wood on the 
other side of the clearing, he changed his tactics. 

u We are going to separate now,” he whispered. 
“ If those men wake up and find you gone they will 


GILES OF THE STAR 


272 

search the woods until they find us. I am going to 
lure them away from you. Roger is hiding behind 
that big rock. I want you to go to him and wait 
there until I come. If they search in that direc¬ 
tion you will see them coming and escape, but I 
think they will follow me. If I am not there by 
evening you must go to the castle and tell your 
father what has happened. Quick, now, off with 
your clothes! You must change with me.” 

Gurth opened his mouth to protest, but it was 
of no use. Giles’s only reply was to bid him to 
hurry. As Giles drew the costume of the castle 
page onto himself Gurth turned to him im¬ 
pulsively. “ I played a mean trick on you, Giles,” 
he said soberly. “ I took the command that was 
supposed to be yours. I want you to know that I 
am sorry and that I am grateful to you for saving 
my life at a risk of your own. I don’t suppose you 
want to be friends with a boy who was so mean 
but, Giles, I’d be honored by your friendship.” 

Giles had no time to do more than open his 
mouth when he was interrupted by a roar from 
one of the men-at-arms. A fly buzzing about the 
man’s nose had awakened him and, upon turning 
over, he saw that the prisoner had escaped. Giles 
did not try to speak. He pressed Gurth’s arm as 
he silently pointed to the rock behind which Roger 
was waiting. 

There was no time to waste, for every one of the 



With a few, quick movements Giles cut the bonds that 

held him.— Page 271. 





AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS 273 

enemy was now thoroughly awake. Gurth ran off 
through the woods, sheltered from the view of the 
men by a screen of young growth. Giles held his 
position until he was sure that Gurth was safe. 
Then, as the men were beginning to separate in a 
dangerous fashion, he rushed through the woods 
in the opposite direction, crashing dead branches 
underfoot and screaming as he had heard Gurth 
scream that very morning. 

Lord Gillies saw a flash of color which he rec¬ 
ognized as being the color of the pages’ smocks 
at Lichester. Calling his men hastily, he at once 
set off in hot haste after his former captive. Giles, 
giving a backward glance to see that the chase was 
on, stopped shouting. He knew that he would 
need every bit of breath and strength to escape. 


CHAPTER XXIII 


THE CHASE 

LUCKILY for the success of Giles’s plan he had 
been brought up in the woods, and knew from pre¬ 
vious experience how to move both quickly and 
quietly through the forest. It was no part of his 
plan to make a quick escape for that would bring 
Gurth and Roger into danger. It would be wiser 
to lead the enemy on a long roundabout chase 
which would give Gurth and Roger a chance to 
escape without fail. As he ran rather slowly 
through the wood the thought came to him of the 
chase that Anselm had led the men of Avalon when 
they were combing the woods for the Lady Milli- 
cent. He remembered how he had said that he 
would enjoy leading Lord Alford through a bram¬ 
ble and thorn-apple patch. Well, here was his 
wish fulfilled. 

As he had noticed when he followed their trail 
from the pine-tree, these were no foresters. They 
crashed through the forest, stumbling over fallen 
branches and tripping over vines. With extreme 
pleasure Giles saw his enemy fall over a half-rot¬ 
ted stump. He took great care not to turn his face 
toward them when they were close upon his heels, 
for it would be fatal if they were to see that it was 

274 


THE CHASE 


275 

not the boy who had been tied to the tree that they 
were chasing. 

Giles could tell by the sound of their voices that 
they were furiously angry as well as frightened, 
and they knew that to have Gurth escape would be 
a terrible blow to their plans. Therefore, they 
would use every means in their power to capture 
him. He also knew that they were armed with 
swords for the most part, but one fellow had a 
bow and arrows. Giles was careful to keep a few 
trees and a reasonable distance between himself 
and the archer for, while he knew that they were 
not likely to shoot with any intention to kill, still 
they might order the archer to shoot him in such a 
way as to disable him. 

Giles had a very good sense of direction and well 
he knew that he was being chased toward the 
property of Lord Gillies. In following this course 
he was running into danger, for it was more than 
possible that he would run into the hands of others 
fighting under Lord Gillies’s standard. This, how¬ 
ever, was unavoidable because, toward the north 
and lying between him and the Lichester property, 
stretched a swamp that was well-known as being 
a dangerous bit of country. He could, however, 
turn toward the south and, that being much safer 
than keeping on toward the west, he made the 
change in that direction. 

He had led them a long way from the hiding- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


276 

place of Roger. Soon he would widen the distance 
between himself and his pursuers by quickening 
his speed. Then, by changing his course and re¬ 
doubling his speed, he would be able to throw 
them off his trail. He was getting tired and 
thirsty. It would be a great relief to be able to 
throw himself flat on the ground beneath a tree 
and relax every muscle in a few minutes’ rest. A 
fleeting backward glance showed him that the 
enemy, too, were flagging, and that Lord Alford 
was limping. Lord Gillies, who was short and fat, 
was red in the face and panting like a weary dog, 
but neither he nor Lord Alford would give up, 
Giles knew, for all their hope of forcing the Lord 
of Lichester to pay a heavy sum of gold and mak¬ 
ing him hand over the Lady Millicent to her uncle 
depended upon keeping him a prisoner. 

The forest into which he plunged grew denser, 
and more difficult for even Giles to penetrate. 
There were low bushes, bramble vines, and short, 
scrubby, young growth that barred the way. 
Giles’s clothing was torn to fluttering ribbons and 
a fine network of scratches ornamented his face 
and arms. It was not so easy to widen the distance 
between himself and the enemy as he had thought 
it would be. Determination to regain him at all 
costs forced Lord Gillies and Lord Alford on, in 
spite of the heat of the day and the difficulties of 
the search. Liberal rewards spurred on his men. 


THE CHASE 


277 

However, their heavy coats of mail made progress 
hard for them and gave Giles a decided advantage. 

Beyond the dense clumps of bushes was an open 
space, with forest on the other side. This sloped 
downward. The forest was more open than the 
woods through which he had been running. It, 
too, sloped toward the river which flowed at the 
base of the hill. Along one side of this open space 
ran the road and along the road, to Giles’s horror 
and dismay, were riding several knights on horse¬ 
back. A single glance at their trappings told the 
frightened boy that they were men of Gillies’s 
castle. His pursuers at the same time realized • 
the approach of allies. 

A triumphant yell from Lord Gillies brought 
the knights to a full stop. Lord Gillies was so out 
of breath from his long chase that for several mo¬ 
ments, which were precious to the fleeing boy, he 
could not speak, but the moments were very few. 

“ After him,” he panted, pointing to the tired 
Giles who was just entering the wood on the other 
side of the clearing. “ A reward in gold I will 
give to the man who catches him for me.” 

Without wasting any time in talk, several of the 
knights dismounted hastily into the woods in pur¬ 
suit of Giles. The situation was critical. Giles 
knew that he would be very lucky if he were to get 
off with his life, for he realized that when Lord 
Gillies learned that he had been led on that long, 


GILES OF THE STAR 


278 

wild-goose chase after the wrong boy, his wrath 
would be aroused to the point of inflicting almost 
any punishment on the offender. Giles was very 
tired, for the chase had been a long, hard one. 
What chance would he have against three men 
who were well-rested and fresh! The sweat stood 
out upon his face and his clothing clung closely 
to him. It chafed his skin, rubbing against his 
scratches in a most painful way. 

Before him was another thicket of bushes and 
beyond that the river. 

A few moments later the enemy broke through 
the barrier of bushes that rimmed the river. It 
was late in the summer and the river was very low, 
but still it was too deep for a boy to wade across 
it and no boy would have had time to swim it. 
Up and down the river they looked, but saw noth¬ 
ing but an innocent-looking log floating down its 
sluggish current. Up and down the banks they 
searched, beating down the bushes and prodding 
the tufts of grass with their swords. Lord Alford 
and Lord Gillies joined in the search, but in vain. 
If Giles had suddenly developed wings and flown 
away he could not have disappeared more com¬ 
pletely or more mysteriously. For more than half 
an hour, by modern time, they searched. The 
knights were so positive that the boy had not time 
to cross the river before they burst through the 
bushes, that the affair seemed most strange. Lord 


THE CHASE 


279 

Gillies raved at his men, driving them by his wrath 
to search even more, but in vain. It was most 
tantalizing to have had such a chance within his 
grip, only to lose it. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


WAR 

And meanwhile, where was Giles? He had dis¬ 
appeared as completely as if the ground had swal¬ 
lowed him, or the water of the river closed over 
his head. In spite of the lengthy search that was 
made for the young page of Lichester, no trace of 
him could be found by any of the men-at-arms of 
either Lord Gillies or Lord Alford. The search 
was a thorough one. Up and down the bank they 
went beating down the bushes, but to no avail. 

“ Witchcraft,” muttered one of the men. 

“ He drowned himself rather than fall into our 
hands,” said another. 

“ Pah, that coward! ” ejaculated another. “ He’d 
never dare do that. Didn’t you hear him squeal 
when we first caught him, and didn’t he go shriek¬ 
ing through the wood as if the devil himself were 
on his heels.” 

“ What I can’t understand is how he got away in 
the first place,” put in another. “ His bonds were 
cut by a knife.” 

“ He must have wriggled one arm free and 
reached his knife,” suggested the first. “ It is no 

use looking here, for our bird has flown. I don’t 

280 


WAR 


281 

see how he could have gotten away without flying 
unless, as you say, his body is under the surface of 
the river, and we have looked well along the bank.” 

There was more truth to this than they knew. 
During much of the time, Giles was as nearly un¬ 
der water as he safely could be. The small part 
of his body exposed was his nose. Seeing that es¬ 
cape was practically impossible by flight he had 
resorted to strategy. Lying on the bank of the 
river was a huge log and, by dint of much hard 
but rapid work, the boy shoved it into the water. 
A forester would have noted the trail left by the 
log, but these men were not foresters. The boy 
waded out into the water, dragging the log after 
him. As soon as he reached deeper water he put 
his arms about the log, gripping it also with his 
knees, then, with his face only out of the water on 
the farther side of the log, he floated slowly down 
the sluggish current. 

It was an awful feeling, to lie hidden in the 
water so close that he could hear the cursing of 
the enemy, and their threats of what they would 
like to do with the “ little varmint ” when they at 
last caught him. Each second seemed a minute, and 
every minute seemed an hour. Giles had been hot 
when he reached the river’s brink—so hot that the 
cool water had seemed very grateful to him—but 
now he was shaking with cold. Even after the 
enemy appeared to have left, he did not dare to 




\ 


282 GILES OF THE STAR 

change his position for several moments for fear 
that their leaving would prove to be only a trick. 

At last, feeling sure that the enemy had gone, 
he threw his arm up over the log and lifted his 
head. Everything was very still. Only the rip¬ 
ples caused by his movement marred the smooth¬ 
ness of the stream. A few lusty strokes brought 
the log out of the deep water. He waded to shore 
and started off as briskly as possible for the place 
where he had left Roger and Gurth. It was a long 
way, for he had purposely led Lord Gillies a long 
chase, but his sense of direction was good and he 
did not waste any time. Although there was no 
sign of the enemy, he advanced cautiously. 

It was getting late in the afternoon. He had 
told Roger not to wait for him too long, but to go 
to Lord Sibert and tell him all that had happened. 
He was very anxious to reach the rock before 
Roger should start for Lichester, for now that both 
Gurth and he had escaped from the enemy he 
wanted the exact story of what had happened to 
reach the master of the castle. If Lord Sibert 
thought that Giles had fallen into the hands of 
Lord Gillies, he would send out a relief expedi¬ 
tion in which lives, might be lost. 

He hurried along, trying to forget the discom¬ 
fort of sticky, wet clothing. In two places he 
shortened the distance by going across lots. At 
last, breathless with fatigue, he reached the shelter 


WAR 


283 

of the rock where he was greeted with enthusiasm 
by both Gurth and Roger. Flinging himself on 
the ground he relaxed his muscles, and lay quietly 
taking in long breaths while the other two boys 
plied him with questions. 

He told them of the chase which led nearer and 
nearer to Lord Gillies’s land, and of the swamp 
which lay between him and Lichester. 

“ I would have gotten away easily,” he said, “ if 
it wasn’t for the fact that we met more of Lord 
Gillies’s men who were not tired, like the rest of 
us. Then I very nearly did give up, for I didn’t 
see how I could escape from them, and if it was 
not for that blessed log I should be a captured 
prisoner this very day.” 

A rest was necessary, for the boy was almost ex¬ 
hausted and could not have gone on without. 

“ We will be able to make up this time that we 
seem to lose,” said Roger quietly. “ If we went on 
now we could not go very fast for you are so tired, 
but after a short rest we can travel quickly, and 
cover much ground before nightfall.” 

It was very quiet. Even the leaves hung motion¬ 
less in the still air. There were no birds’ songs, 
but a soft, sleepy twittering told of their presence. 
There was a sweet, woodsy odor and the incessant 
whirr of insects. Roger gave a great sigh of pure 
comfort, and idly watched an ant laboriously pull¬ 
ing a bit of food to her hole. As she drew near 


284 GILES OF THE STAR 

the hole another ant came to meet her. The new¬ 
comer took hold of the bit of food, and both ants 
pulled together. 

“ How little ants are,” he commented to the 
others. “ I suppose that they care just as much 
for that sand-pile as we do for Lichester Castle.” 

Giles sat up suddenly. 

“We must be getting along,” he said, getting 
up. “You know that they were planning a sur¬ 
prise attack, and I believe they will start it even 
sooner than they planned. I wouldn’t be surprised 
if they tried to make it this very night, for they 
know that if Gurth really escaped he would give 
the warning.” 

He started off through the woods as he spoke, 
and the others followed him. They went rapidly, 
not wasting any time in conversation. Fortunate 
it was that Giles was well-used to the woods, for 
they did not dare to venture out upon the road. 

“ If we could go through the swamp we could 
cut off a long piece,” said Gurth, pointing toward 
the verdant valley below. 

“ It would be risking too much,” said Roger 
positively. “ Not only is it unsafe for one who 
does not know every way and byway in it, but 
there are islands in it on which desperate robbers 
and murderers are said to live. Neither of you 
fellows has been around the castle long, but I’ve 
heard the most awful tales of it.” 


WAR 


285 

“We must take no risks,” said Giles. “We 
might throw away our own lives if we wished, if 
the lives of others did not depend upon them. 
What is the matter, Gurth? ” 

Gurth’s answer was a grimace of pain. “ I 
turned my ankle and twisted it a while ago,” he 
replied. “ I didn’t say anything about it, but it is 
getting worse at every step.” 

Giles bent over to look at it. He could see that 
it was swelling, and that Gurth was quite right 
when he said that he had twisted it badly. “ What 
shall we do?” he exclaimed in dismay. 

“ Don’t mind me,” Gurth replied pluckily. “ I’ll 
get along somehow.” 

For some time they walked in silence, but Giles 
could see that Gurth’s pace got slower and slower. 
He regarded him with anxiety, noting the tightly- 
set teeth and the pucker of pain between his eyes. 
At last, he called a halt. 

“ This won’t do,” he said abruptly. “ We won’t 
get there until after the fight begins, at this rate. 
One of us has got to stay here with Gurth, and the 
other must go on to Lichester and give the news. 
What do you think about it? ” 

“ Both of you go on,” said Gurth bitterly. “ I 
don’t deserve to have either of you stay with me.” 

Giles threw one arm over Gurth’s shoulder with 
a friendly pressure, as he said, “ I am not in the 
habit of going back on my friends, Gurth.” 


286 


GILES OF THE STAR 


A warm light came into Gurth’s eyes, and he 
looked pathetically grateful to Giles. “ You really 
mean that you will be my friend? ” he asked. 

“ Yes,” replied Giles. 

“ I had better stay behind, Giles,” said Roger. 
“ I am not as strong as you are, and cannot go as 
fast. If you see one of the men of Lichester, send 
him after us.” 

Giles hesitated. He hated to go off and leave 
Gurth, but what Roger had said was true. 

“ It’s a good plan,” said Gurth, so Giles, after a 
rather broken farewell, hurried off through the 
woods. 

“Wait a minute,” called Roger. When Giles 
returned, Roger pulled off his faded blue smock 
and handed it to him. “ You’ll be safer in it,” he 
said. 

After more than an hour’s walk, Giles reached 
Lichester Town. Just before he reached the town 
itself, several knights from the castle rode down 
the dusty road. It was another group of horsemen 
from the castle whom Lord Sibert had sent out to 
search for the lost pages. As they reached Giles, 
the boy called to them to stop. 

“ If it is not the little peasant page,” cried out 
one of the men. “ Where is your master’s son? ” 

Young Sibert, the squire, came riding up to him. 
“ Where is my brother, Giles? ” he cried out. “ Is 
he dead or captured? Why are you alone? ” 


WAR 


287 

“ He is hurt, but not seriously,” exclaimed Giles. 
“ His ankle is twisted so he cannot walk. You 
will find him somewhere near the top of that hill.” 
He pointed to the direction from which he had 
come. 

“ You had better go with us and show us the 
exact spot,” said one of the knights. 

Giles shook his head. 

“ I have important news that I must give at 
once to Lord Sibert,” he replied. “ I hoped to 
find a horse to ride here in Lichester.” 

Sibert swung himself from his own beautiful 
horse and held out the bridle to Giles. 

“ I’ll get another mount at Lichester,” he said. 
“ Father always keeps several extra ones on hand, 
and the keeper of them will give one to me sooner 
than he would to you. I should have seen how 
nearly spent you are.” 

The kind young squire helped the tired Giles to 
mount the horse. Then he turned to the others. 

“ Ride along,” he said. “ I will soon catch up 
with you.” 

The change from foot to horse was a most wel¬ 
come one for Giles. At Avalon he had envied the 
brave knights and squires their fine horses. Now 
he was riding a beauty. At Avalon he had longed 
for a chance to show himself worthy of knight¬ 
hood. Chances seemed to be coming his way. It 
was nearly dark when he reached Lichester Castle, 


288 


GILES OF THE STAR 


and the drawbridge was up. The keeper of the 
bridge saw the tired little figure and recognized 
his horse, so he lowered the bridge at once. When 
Giles rode across the bridge, the man took him by 
the arm. 

“ Where are young Gurth and Roger? ” he 
asked sternly. “ How does it happen that you 
come riding back on the squire’s horse? ” 

In a very few words Giles told the man that 
Gurth and Roger were safe, that Sibert had given 
him the horse to ride, and that he must see Lord 
Sibert at once. Lord Sibert had heard the draw¬ 
bridge lowered and the sound of the horse’s feet 
as they crossed it. He strode out to meet Giles 
as the boy started across the courtyard. Giles gave 
a cry of joy when he saw him. 

“ I am so glad that you are here, Lord Sibert,” 
he said. “ I was afraid that you might be out 
looking for us.” 

“Where are the others?” asked the man 
hoarsely. “ My son-” 

“ He is safe,” replied Giles, “ or I have good 
reason to think that he is. I left him in Lichester 
Forest with Roger, for he had twisted his ankle 
badly. I came on to tell you what happened. 
Gurth was taken prisoner by Lord Gillies. I had 
climbed up a tree to get the lay of the ground be¬ 
fore the enemy came upon us, so was not captured. 
We heard them say that they were going to make 



WAR 289 

an attack upon this castle very soon, perhaps to¬ 
night.” 

“ But, what of Gurth?” asked Sibert. 

“ He escaped,” replied Giles. “ I met your son 
and some knights, and they have gone back to get 
both Roger and Gurth.” 

“ You say that an attack will be made almost at 
once? Who said so? ” 

“ Lord Gillies,” replied Giles. “ I heard him.” 

“ We must make preparations,” exclaimed Lord 
Sibert. “Warn the men-at-arms.” 

Giles laid his hand on Lord Sibert’s arm. 

“ I’ve got something else to tell you,” he said. 
“ Lord Alford, Millicent’s other uncle, has joined 
Lord Gillies in this attack on Lichester, with the 
understanding that if they conquer the castle Lady 
Millicent will be turned over to him.” 

“ Lord Alford! ” exclaimed Lord Sibert. “ That 
hound! If I ever get my hands upon that villain’s 
neck, I will pay him back for the harm he has 
done to my house. His brother was a fine man 
and, although he was our enemy also, for the two 
families have had differences for years, I respected 
him as a man. He won my sister in marriage, thus 
separating her from all her own family. But Al¬ 
ford killed his brother. His death killed my sister, 
so her death lays at Alford’s door, as well. Not 
content with that, he drove my niece from her 
home. I hate him. I hate him more than I hate 


GILES OF THE STAR 


290 

Gillies, and if this coming siege gives me the 
chance to revenge myself on him, I shall welcome 
it.” 

“ He is an awful man,” replied Giles. “ He 
nearly killed Anselm.” 

“ Anselm,” replied Sibert, in bewilderment. 
“Oh yes, to you Benedict is Anselm. H’m! By 
the way, after you have helped warn the men-at- 
arms, go to the big hall and wait for me.” 

The men-at-arms and pages eagerly clustered 
about Giles, keenly interested in the story he had 
to tell them. The fact that Gurth had taken Giles’s 
command had spread among them, and they 
wanted to know whether the two had quarreled. 
Giles shook his head. 

“ We are friends,” he said simply. 

The men almost at once went to their various 
posts. The time for which they so long had 
planned was at last at hand, and there were many 
things to do. Now that the tension of the long ex¬ 
citing day was over, Giles suddenly found himself 
to be very tired. Remembering that Lord Sibert 
had told him to return to the great hall and, know¬ 
ing that until Gurth and Roger were safely at 
home he could not think of resting, he slowly 
crossed the courtyard and pushed open the door of 
the hall. 

The flickering light of the candles, for a mo¬ 
ment, almost dazzled him, so he stood by the door 


WAR 


291 

blinking. The Lady Millicent jumped from the 
arm of the chair which held a tall mail-clad fig¬ 
ure with the joyful cry of, “ Here he is, Uncle. Oh, 
I am so very glad! ” 

Giles blinked again, this time in disbelief. It 
couldn’t be! Yes it was! 

“ Anselm! ” he cried. “ Oh, Anselm! ” 

Anselm threw his arms about the boy he loved 
so well, and for a moment held him very close 
while Millicent danced up and down around them. 
Explanations quickly followed. No one about the 
castle had told Anselm of the danger that Giles 
was in, hoping that the boy’s return would make 
it unnecessary to frighten him. Anselm himself 
had just come to the castle. When he asked for 
Giles he had been told that the boy was on a mis¬ 
sion for Lord Sibert. 

“ Did you know of the danger my boy was in? ” 
asked Anselm of Millicent. 

“Yes,” she replied. “I was afraid you could 
read it upon my face, for I was so worried. I was 
told not to tell you.” 

“But what about you?” Giles asked. “How 
comes it that you are here at Lichester? I thought 
that you were getting money for King Richard.” 

“ The money has been collected and it is on its 
way to Richard’s captors. My work is done, and I 
am free now to return here and take up my work 
as my brother’s helper.” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


292 

“ You will be fighting an old enemy if you do,” 
said Giles. “ Alford has come from Avalon to 
help Lord Gillies. I heard them planning to¬ 
gether. If Lichester Castle falls, Lord Alford is 
to have the Lady Millicent turned over to him.” 

“ Oh,” cried out Millicent in distress. Her 
uncle’s arm tightened around her, and his hand 
clenched at his side. Millicent clung to him. “ I 
do feel so safe when you hold me like that,” she 
said. “ I am dreadfully afraid of him.” 

After Giles had told the whole story of Gurth’s 
capture and escape, Anselm laughed rather 
grimly. 

“ Wouldn’t Alford be surprised if he knew all 
that you had done to balk his plans? ” he said. “ It 
was you who led Millicent away from Rhywick 
Spring. It was you who heard Guilbert betray 
me to Alford, and warned me. You took her 
away from Avalon. Now you saved her by saving 
young Gurth. I’d enjoy letting him know what he 
owes to you, sometime.” 

For a while they sat there in the flickering can¬ 
dle-light. Giles refused to go to bed until word 
was brought from Gurth and Roger. At last they 
heard the squeak that told of the lowering of the 
drawbridge. They were out in the courtyard when 
the horses crossed the bridge. Both boys had been 
found easily, and there had been no trouble from 
that time on. Gurth had told them of the planned 


WAR 


293 

attack, so they had stopped at Lichester Town to 
warn the people. Some of them had fled away to 
the forest on the other side of the town, while 
some had come with them to the castle to help in 
the defence. 

Gurth and Roger were so tired that they could 
hardly keep awake on the trip, but it was destined 
to be an exciting, broken night, as far as sleep was 
concerned. Toward morning a great cry rose up 
from the men on guard. Lord Gillies’s men, an¬ 
gered at finding their surprise not a surprise, had 
fired the town of Lichester. The thatched roofs 
of the cottages were very dry, for no rain had 
fallen for many days. They burned like so much 
tinder. Flames and showers of sparks! The scene 
was indescribable in its awfulness. A deep, men¬ 
acing murmur rose from the men, women, and 
children standing on the battlement of the castle. 
Many of them were watching the destruction of 
their beloved homes, while others mourned for 
their friends exiled in the forest and forced to live 
like beasts. A white flame of indignation blazed 
in Giles’s eyes as he thought of the destruction 
being done before his very eyes. Now he knew 
the real meaning and horror of war. No longer 
it seemed alluring. It was terrible. 

Gurth came to his side and laid his hand upon 
Giles’s arm. 

“ I should be in their hands to-night, if it were 


GILES OF THE STAR 


294 

not for you,” he said soberly. “ I might be being 
tortured. The people of Lichester would have 
been burned in their beds, there would have been 
a surprise attack on the castle itself, and it might 
have fallen into the enemy’s hands. Giles, even 
although you were born a peasant, you have the 
courage and the wisdom of a knight, and I am 
going to tell my father so.” 


CHAPTER XXV 


THE SIEGE 

All the rest of that night the sky was reddened 
by the leaping flames of Lichester Town and, as 
darkness faded into dawn, blackened, smouldering 
ruins were all that was left upon the site of the 
once pretty little village. Not a house nor a barn 
remained standing, and the brisk wind that blew 
toward the castle brought the acrid smell of smoke 
to its defenders. No longer were those upon the 
wall in full sight from the outside, for the men of 
Lichester well knew that as soon as Lichester Town 
was ablaze, the men who set the fire would start 
out for the castle itself. However, while the wall 
might seem deserted to the enemy, such was not the 
case for, behind parapet and rampart, grim, and 
perfectly prepared for the coming fray, were the 
men of Lichester. 

Before it was light, Lord Gillies’s men were on 
their way to the castle. At dawn, those on the wall 
could see that the castle was completely sur¬ 
rounded by the enemy. No arrows, however, were 
shot at that time, for it was plain to be seen that 
the distance between the forces was farther than 
might be bridged by any arrow. There was noth¬ 
ing for those at the castle to do but to wait 

295 


296 GILES OF THE STAR 

patiently for further developments. The enemy 
must make the first move. 

That such a move would be shortly made was 
quite evident from the bustle and confusion that 
might be noted in the enemy’s camp. Men were 
hurrying to and fro, and there was the sound of 
shouts and hammering. 

Giles, after a troubled, broken sleep, awoke very 
early. Every one about the castle seemed in a 
fever of unrest, and the place buzzed like a huge 
beehive. What seemed all confusion, however, 
was but systematized work, for each man had his 
own task and was busy at it. At Anselm’s sugges¬ 
tion, the work had been divided among one-half of 
the castle men. The other half rested during the 
time when the first half worked. At the end of a 
certain period of time, the first half rested while 
the second half worked. Huge rocks were being 
carried to the top of the wall where they were 
stored behind the rampart, in order that, when the 
enemy made its attack, there would be plenty of 
ammunition on hand to meet it. 

Giles, making his way to the wall, began to as¬ 
cend it at a place where he could get a good view 
of both Lichester Town and the enemy’s camp. 
At the top of the wall he found old Ralph, busy 
storing away the piles of rock which were being 
handed up to him. 

“ Stay behind the ramparts, Giles of the Star,” 


THE SIEGE 


297 

warned the old man, “ for all they look to be so 
busy down there, there are some who have their 
eyes upon the castle, and there is no need of our 
risking ourselves unnecessarily. Lichester will 
have need of all her men and boys before this siege 
comes to a close.” 

“ What are the men of Lord Gillies doing? ” 
asked the boy eagerly. 

Old Ralph looked very grim. Then, very cau¬ 
tiously, he peered around one edge of the parapet, 
dodging hastily backward as half a dozen arrows 
rattled against it. 

“ They seem to be shooting”’ said the old man 
dryly, as he pulled one of the arrows from his 
sleeve. It had barely missed piercing his arm. 

“ I rather think it would be wiser for me to 
wear armor if I am to make observations,” he said. 
“ It is easier to pile stones when not weighted down 
by metal.” 

“ What did you see? ” asked the boy. 

“ You’ve never been in a siege, lad,” he replied, 
after a long hesitation. “ You have no idea what 
it means. Often the enemy encircles a castle and 
literally starves the inmates of it into surrender. 
That is the easiest way, for then there is no loss of 
blood, and that is the method that Lord Gillies 
would ordinarily take, for Lichester Castle is a 
hard castle to seize, but Gillies is more for John 
than for Richard, while Lord Sibert and all of 


GILES OF THE STAR 


298 

those of Lichester—Benedict and the Lady Ev¬ 
elyn, the little Lady Millicent’s mother—have 
been loyal and helpful to King Richard’s cause. 
It is now well-known that money has been col¬ 
lected to pay off the ransom exacted by the Ger¬ 
man king, and that Richard will soon be in Eng¬ 
land. Therefore, if Gillies would take the castle 
of Lichester, he must do so quickly for, with Rich¬ 
ard in England, it would be impossible.” 

“You mean,” broke in Giles suddenly, “that 
instead of a long siege there will be a sudden at¬ 
tack? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Ralph. “ It will be a furious 
attack, and the moat will be red with blood.” 

“ But how will they do it? ” questioned the boy 
with a little shiver. 

“ There are various ways,” replied Ralph with 
a shake of his head. “ First, they will fill up the 
moat so they may draw near to the castle to batter 
down the walls or doors. While they are doing 
that, we will hurl stones and arrows upon them to 
drive them back, but they will persevere until the 
moat is filled. Oh, I could tell you much about 
sieges, but my work must be done.” 

With that he turned away and began to pile up 
his rocks, leaving Giles feeling both depressed and 
worried. Thinking there would be work for him 
below, he descended the wall and went to awaken 
Roger. There was no need of this, however, for 


THE SIEGE 


/ 


299 


both Roger and Gurth were just crossing the court¬ 
yard as he reached the bottom of the wall. He was 
not slow in telling them what he had learned from 
Ralph. 

“ He is right,” replied Roger. “ I know, for I 
was in a siege once. I was not very old so I do not 
remember it well, but it was in that siege that I 
lost both father and mother. All I remember was 
the most dreadful of noises and the crumbling of 
the wall. I was then brought here by the man-at- 
arms who rescued me.” 

All that day preparations went on, both within 
and without the castle. The first real bit of fight¬ 
ing came at about noon. True to Ralph’s proph¬ 
ecy, the first move the enemy made was to roll up 
stones and to throw them into the moat. Word 
came down from the guard on the wall that the 
enemy seemed to find it difficult to procure stones. 

“ It is because all the loose ones have been 
brought into the castle for munition,” laughed 
Gurth. “ They will have a fine time combing the 
countryside for rocks.” 

“ They’ll get stuff somehow,” replied Giles. 
“Look! The archers are getting ready to let fly 
at them.” The volley of arrows was followed by 
a cheer from the men on the wall, and two shrieks 
of pain showed that the shots had told. However, 
the enemy did not seem to be discouraged by their 
loss, for both the filling process and shooting of 


GILES OF THE STAR 


3 °° 

arrows went steadily on. By nightfall none had 
been lost on the castle side, while five had been 
killed of those engaged in filling the moat, but a 
good start had been made toward making a dry 
passage to the castle walls. 

The second day of the siege was a repetition of 
the first. Several of the enemy lost their lives or 
were wounded grievously, yet at the close of the 
day even more of the moat was filled. It was very 
plain to those on the castle wall that, at the rate of 
speed with which the moat was being filled, it 
would not be long before the enemy would be able 
to walk across it dry-shod. From the wall could 
be seen a strange wooden structure, day by day 
growing in size until it was about the height of 
the wall, or perhaps a little higher. This was 
looked upon darkly by the men of Lichester, for 
well they knew its purpose. 

“ What is it for? ” asked Giles of Roger, for 
many of the preparations were new to the boy from 
Avalon. 

“ It is a tower,” he explained. “ It is built on 
rollers so they will be able to roll it easily up to 
the wall of the castle when the moat is filled in. 
The enemy are at the top of it and, when it gets up 
to the wall, they come out the side and fight with 
the men on the wall. It is a very dangerous thing.” 

“ Why don’t we set it on fire when it is moved 
up?” asked Giles, eying the wooden affair with 


THE SIEGE 


301 

interest through one of the loopholes in the para¬ 
pet. 

“ It isn’t finished yet,” replied Gurth, who had 
just joined them. “ It will be covered with plates 
of metal. Not even Greek fire will be able to harm 
it when it is finished.” 

Giles knew what Greek fire was, or at least he 
knew what it was for, because Anselm had told 
him, when a barrel of the stuff was taken to the 
top of the wall. 

“ In olden times,” he had explained, “ knights 
built their castles of wood. It was not easy to 
defend such a castle for, if the enemy could draw 
near to it, they could set it on fire. Now men 
know how to mix certain ingredients together to 
make a terrible kind of fire which, once it is hurled 
at a thing, will stick to it and burn. This Greek 
fire is used to set fire to the towers and other burn¬ 
able structures of the enemy.” 

Barrels of oil were brought out where they 
would be handy for heating to the boiling point, 
when the enemy should at last stand below the cas¬ 
tle walls. It seemed a terrible way to fight, and 
yet it was the method of the day and they were 
fighting for their home. 

Meanwhile, the women of the castle were not 
idle, for it was the women who cared for the in¬ 
jured and nursed them back to health. Yet, busy 
as every one was, it was all in preparation. Each 


GILES OF THE STAR 


3° 2 

knew that the time of war, bloodshed, furious 
hand-to-hand struggle, was coming, and coming 
soon. 

Giles and the other pages had no time for mock 
battles now, for they were kept continually on the 
run, carrying water to the men on the walls, run¬ 
ning errands for any one who might call upon their 
services, and helping in all ways within their 
power. Giles and Roger were together most of 
the time, but another had been allowed to come 
into their friendship. Instead of two boys, work¬ 
ing side by side, there were three, for at last Gurth 
saw his old, bragging, disagreeable nature in its 
true light and, having seen and disapproved of 
himself, being a thoughtful boy with more brains 
than one would have supposed from his former be¬ 
havior, he at once started to rectify matters. The 
new Gurth was so desirable as a friend that even 
Roger, who had been the butt of many of Gurth’s 
tricks, forgave and accepted him into the friend¬ 
ship. 

At last the moat was filled in, despite the hail of 
stones and fire which was dropped upon the heads 
of those engaged in the work, and the huge tower 
was slowly dragged forward. During all this time 
those on the castle wall were not idle. As soon as 
the tower was within arrow-shot it became the tar¬ 
get of the castle archers, but their efforts were in 
vain, for the wooden walls reenforced with wet 


THE SIEGE 


3°3 

hides and metal plates protected those who were 
within and, although the terrible Greek fire which 
was poured down upon those below injured many, 
yet more always took their places. 

“ The fight will be on the walls to-morrow,” said 
Lord Sibert heavily. “ I have ordered my best 
men to withstand the attack.” 

He was talking to Anselm in the great hall of 
the castle. No one else, with the exception of the 
Lady Constance, was in the room. She had been 
busy with basin and bandages, binding up a jagged 
wound in her husband’s leg, and her face was sad 
and her eyes weary. 

“ Do you want me on the wall? ” asked Anselm. 

“ No,” replied Lord Sibert. “ I have other and 
more important work for you, my brother.” 

“ I will do whatever will best help you, Sibert,” 
replied Anselm. “ I promise it on the Book.”' 

His brother looked at him earnestly. They had 
not always agreed in times past, for Sibert had not 
approved of his sister’s marriage to the young Lord 
Giles of Avalon and had shown this disapproval 
by refusing to have anything more to do with her. 
Benedict or, as most people now called him, An¬ 
selm, had seen that in spite of whatever quarrels 
had been between the two families in the past the 
young lord loved his sister, had not turned against 
her. Instead, he had followed her to Avalon that 
he might serve her and her child. Yes, Anselm 


GILES OF THE STAR 


3°4 

was trustworthy and could be depended upon. He 
had shown this characteristic over and over again. 

“ I know that I can trust you,” said Sibert 
gravely. “ I can trust you, for you are trustworthy. 
No man can tell how the battle of to-morrow will 
turn. It may be that my men will be unable to 
drive back those of Lord Gillies for they are good 
fighters, and the matter is one of utmost impor¬ 
tance to their leaders. If we lose to-morrow, all of 
the family will be killed. If the battle turns 
against us I want you to be in readiness to take 
Lady Constance, my two sons, and the Lady Milli- 
cent, through the secret tunnel and hide them away 
from the men of Lord Alford and Lord Gillies. 
As for me, I will fight to the bitter end, but I must 
know that they are in safe hands. When the king 
returns, go to him with them and tell him that, 
before I died, I commended them to his care. Will 
you swear to do this? ” 

“ With one condition,” replied Anselm. 

“ And that?” questioned Lord Sibert in surprise. 

u My condition is that Giles may accompany 
the others,” answered Anselm. “ There are cer¬ 
tain of Lord Alford’s men, notably one called 
Guilbert, who know the boy well. They know 
that it was he who helped Millicent to escape, and 
if he should fall into their hands it would go hard 
with him, for Alford is not one who forgets or 
forgives.” 


THE SIEGE 


305 

“ It shall be as you say,” replied the other. “ I 
forgot the lad when I spoke. The other pages will 
be safe, for they are all sons of important knights 
whom it is not safe to annoy. Lord Gillies will 
not hurt any of them. It is only the family of 
Lichester that is in danger. My brother, I trust 
you.” 

“ I will not betray that trust,” replied Anselm. 
“ I swear by all that is holy that I will give my 
life, if need be, for the life of any one of those who 
go with me.” 


CHAPTER XXVI 


GILES’S OPPORTUNITY 

IN spite of the continuous preparation which 
had been going on for the past fortnight, there was 
very little let-up just before the battle. One thing 
Anselm insisted upon. Those who were to engage 
in the actual fighting on the morrow must spend 
the night in rest. Lord Sibert’s wound proved 
more dangerous than was expected. That night 
he had a fever and raved wildly of filled moats, 
a broken wall, and rivers of blood. Lady Con¬ 
stance was up all night caring for him, and her 
face became more worn and haggard with the 
passing of each hour. 

Anselm took charge in his brother’s place. 
Shortly after his interview with Lord Sibert, he 
called together the oldest and wisest of the men- 
at-arms and knights, that he might get their advice 
and make known to them his plans. It was a 
grave-faced group of men that gathered that night 
in the hall, for all were worn by anxious hours of 
waiting and fatiguing work. The future looked 
very dark to them, for each knew that this might 
be his last night to live. Anselm’s heart sank as 
he looked about the weary circle. 

“ You must get sleep to-night,” he said. “ We 

306 


GILES’S OPPORTUNITY 307 

can’t help but look on matters differently if we 
are well rested.” 

u The walls must be guarded,” said one man 
gloomily. “ It will take a number of us to keep 
the fire burning under the oil. All must be in 
readiness for the attack to-morrow morning.” 

“ I feel that the attack will be as soon as there 
is a ray of light in the eastern sky,” said Ralph. 

“ The men need sleep,” replied Anselm. “ They 
will be fit for little if they do not gain the rest they 
need.” 

Several of the pages were in the hall. Although 
they were not of the circle of men, they could hear 
what was being said and were all keenly interested 
in the conversation. Giles was sitting with Roger, 
Gurth, and young Sibert. Although it was long 
past their regular bedtime, sleep was far from their 
minds. 

“ When I am a man and have a castle, I shall 
have meetings like this and make wonderful 
plans,” whispered Roger to Giles. 

“ I can never have a castle,” replied Giles 
sadly. “ I don’t so much care about a castle, but 
it is dreadful to know that, try as hard as I can to 
be worthy of real knighthood, I can never really 
belong to it as you and Lord Sibert belong. I was 
born a peasant, and to be born a peasant is to be 
born for lowliness. I can till the fields, raising 
my grain for the use of an overlord in times of 


GILES OF THE STAR 


308 

trouble like this, or I can be a humble soldier, but 
I want more. I want to be a knight who has some¬ 
thing to do with the planning of a defense or an 
attack against an enemy.” 

His friends looked at him curiously, for it was a 
new thing to hear Giles, who had been so radiantly 
happy since entering the service of Lord Sibert, 
complaining about his lot, and he flushed under 
their look. 

“Yet you are treated exactly as are the other 
pages,” said Sibert. 

“ Yes,” replied Giles. “ It has been wonderful 
to be here. At first, I felt as if I were an intruder 
who had no real right, but every one has been so 
good to me that I now feel as if I really belonged 
here as one of you. I think that is what hurts most 
of all. I feel as if I belong, and yet I know that I 
have no right to what I am getting.” 

“ You are one of us by nature, if not by blood,” 
said Sibert seriously. “We never think of you as 
a peasant now, Giles. You do not seem like one. 
I heard my mother say that you had neither the 
look nor the speech of a peasant lad, and I know 
that my cousin, the Lady Millicent, regards you as 
a friend. Do you know anything about yourself? 
Who were your parents, and how came it that they 
gave you into my uncle’s hands? ” 

“ Who they were, I do not know,” replied Giles. 
“ Anslem tells me that both of them are dead. I 


GILES'S OPPORTUNITY 309 

have often wondered about them. I wonder where 
they lived and what they looked like. It seems 
strange that both of them should die, for Anslem 
told me that they were very young, but more than 
that he would not say.” 

“ It seems strange,” mused Roger, looking 
sharply at Giles and noting his finely-cut features 
and slim, sensitive hands. “ He is more of a knight 
now than Anstruther will ever be,” he thought to 
himself. “ Perhaps he is not such a common boy 
as he thinks he is. It seems queer that Anselm 
would take in a common peasant. I wonder-” 

Meanwhile, the conversation among the men 
had continued. Some of them, including Anselm, 
felt that the men should be relieved from as much 
duty during the night as possible, while others felt 
that the work was more important than the rest. 

“ There is much to be done,” protested one of 
them. “ The fuel must be fed to the fire under 
the kettles of oil and a watch must be kept upon 
the walls. A number of our men have been 
wounded sorely, and are of no use in the defense 
which may be necessary at any moment.” 

During this speech Giles edged up closer to An¬ 
selm, not wishing to miss anything of importance 
which might be said. He hoped that he could be 
of some aid, but he knew that the older men would 
scoff at such an idea. Still there ought to be some¬ 
thing that boys could do, for, although the men 



GILES OF THE STAR 


310 

would probably not entrust them with an impor¬ 
tant place on the wall, their eyes were keen, and 
their ears quick to hear the slightest sound. At 
least they were old enough and responsible enough 
to keep the fires under the oil. It would be dread¬ 
ful to interrupt their conversation, but he felt that 
he must pass the idea on to some one. 

Leaning over, he whispered his plan to Sibert. 

“ Why couldn’t we boys mind the fires and help 
out on the wall,” he said. “We have been run¬ 
ning errands ever since the siege started, but we 
have not worked as hard as the men have, and we 
have had more sleep.” 

Sibert listened thoughtfully, then nodded. As 
soon as there was a lull in the conversation, he told 
of Giles’s plan. The younger boy’s heart gave a 
thrill of pleasure when Sibert explained that it 
was his plan. 

After more conversation in the nature of an 
argument, for several of the older men felt that 
the boys were too young for such responsibility, it 
was decided that they might keep the fires burning 
and relieve half of the men who were acting as 
sentinels on the wall. 

“ There will be more of the older men there to 
see that all is well,” said Anselm, “ and I should 
not be surprised if the boys would be useful, for 
their eyes are sharp and their ears keen.” 

After Roger and Gurth had called together the 


GILES'S OPPORTUNITY 


3 “ 

rest of the pages, it was a highly delighted group 
of boys that gathered about Anselm, waiting for 
his instructions. At last, they were to be given a 
position of trust. Running errands was all very 
well and helpful, but it was boy’s work. To 
actually help in the preparation for the coming 
battle, and to be a guard with men on the wall 
was the work of a man. Such a thing was un¬ 
heard-of, and several of the older men shook their 
heads over it gravely. 

“ Better put two boys together on the wall,” sug¬ 
gested Ralph. “ Two boys will keep each other 
awake.” 

A little later, Giles and Gurth left the big hall 
together and ascended the wall in silence. The 
night was dark for the moon had not yet risen, 
and small clouds of mist obscured the stars. A 
soft, gentle wind ruffled their hair and whispered 
about the corner of the rampart, but otherwise the 
night was still, save for the whirr of insects outside 
the castle wall. 

Ralph and several of the men who were too old 
to be valuable fighters were also on the wall, as 
well as the younger boys. Although Giles could 
not see him, he knew that Ralph was not far away 
to his right and Andrew, another of the older men, 
was around the corner to the left. It was rather 
reassuring to know that they were there, but each 
of the boys knew that he was responsible for 


GILES OF THE STAR 


312 

the section of wall between the two older men, 
and must not rely on any one else. 

“ The wind is in our favor,” whispered Gurth, 
holding up his hand that the wind might blow 
against it. “ It will bring every sound to our ears, 
and whatever noise we make will not reach them.” 

They did not talk much as, in the deep silence 
about them, conversation seemed out of place. 
Every now and then one of them would walk the 
length of the wall listening intently for any sound 
from below, but there were no sounds except the 
soft night noises. It was not late, although it 
seemed ages since they first mounted the wall. 
Most of the men from the other camp seemed to 
be asleep, too, for there were very few fires burn¬ 
ing. As they looked over the rampart they could 
see one fire that seemed to burn more brightly than 
any of the others. 

“ That must be their council,” said Giles. 
" They are sitting up late making their plans.” 

“ It seems strange,” replied Gurth with a little 
shiver. “ To-night everything is so quiet and 
peaceful, and to-morrow, probably at daybreak 
when the attack begins, there will be shrieks of 
pain, the rattle of armor, and fire everywhere.” 

“Winning costs so much in life and loss of 
property,” replied Giles. 

“ Losing costs even more,” replied Gurth. 

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could win 


GILES’S OPPORTUNITY 313 

without the loss of so much,” said Giles thought¬ 
fully. “ Anselm says that whenever an attack is 
made from a tower many lives are lost on both 
sides. He told me that the men come out of the 
towers in a body, and that the wall is so narrow 
that only a few of the castle men can fight upon it 
well. I wish we could know how things will turn 
out by this time to-morrow.” 

“ Wouldn’t it be grand if we could think of a 
way to get the best of them without so much loss 
to our side?” suggested Gurth dreamily. 

Giles sat up suddenly. This was a new idea. 

“ Do you mean you wish that you and I could 
think up a plan? ” he wanted to know. 

“ I was thinking of our men. I don’t suppose 
boys could make a good enough plan for them to 
listen to,” answered Gurth, yawning widely. 

“ I wonder,” replied Giles, and again there was 
silence. With his arms wrapped about his knees 
and his head upon them he sat very silent, think¬ 
ing deeply. Ever since he was a very small boy 
he had longed to do something big to show that 
he was worthy of knighthood. He had longed to 
do something to show his gratitude to Anselm who 
had done so much for him, and to Lord Sibert who 
had given him a chance to enter service as a page. 
Now Lord Sibert was wounded and in so much 
pain that he could not take command, and Anselm 
had never defended a besieged castle. 


3 i 4 GILES OF THE STAR 

“ If only I could think out a plan by which we 
might win,” he thought. Gurth yawned again, 
this time so widely that it attracted Giles’s atten¬ 
tion. “ Why don’t you go to sleep? ” he suggested. 
“ I’ll stay awake and keep watch. Later I will 
wake you, and you may watch while I sleep.” 

Gurth stretched out upon the hard stone wall 
and pillowed his head on his arm. Soon he was 
asleep, leaving Giles very much awake with his 
new idea in his head. 

“ If I could only think of a plan,” he mused. 
He walked along the wall and ascertained that 
both Ralph and Andrew were awake. 

“ We must not let them surprise us,” said Ralph 
stretching himself. “ A surprise would be fatal.” 

A surprise! A surprise would be fatal! If a 
surprise would be fatal to the castle folk, would it 
not be equally fatal to the enemy? Would it not 
be possible to think up some plan of surprising 
them and of throwing them into confusion? Why 
should they wait quietly until the enemy attacked 
them? Would it not be better to carry a surprise 
attack into the camp of the enemy? Naturally, the 
two leaders would have constant watch kept on the 
castle and, at the first sign of life from it, the whole 
enemy’s camp would be in readiness to meet any 
hostility. It would be impossible to lower the 
drawbridge and lift the portcullis for, quietly as 
they might do it, warning would be given to the 


GILES’S OPPORTUNITY 315 

other camp. If there was a way to leave the castle 
secretly and get around the enemy, an attack might 
be made upon them from the rear. Then, like a 
flash, came the memory of the secret passage 
through which Gurth had led him. The other 
end of that passage was in an old, ruined building 
hidden securely away in the swamp. In all prob¬ 
ability there would be none of Lord Gillies’s men 
in the swamp, for it was a dangerous place to one 
not accustomed to its deep morasses and obscure 
paths. Why would it not be possible for Anselm 
to take a group of men through the secret passage 
and, under the cover of darkness, close in upon the 
enemy? 

Without saying anything to Ralph about his 
plan, because he knew that the old man was very 
cautious and not open to new suggestions, Giles re¬ 
turned to the sleeping Gurth and shook him. 

“ What’s the matter?” muttered Gurth, sitting 
up and rubbing his eyes. Then the realization of 
what his being aroused might mean came to him 
and he spoke quickly, “ Is it time for me to watch? 
Did you hear anything? ” 

“ No, I have heard nothing, but I have an idea 
that I want to tell you about,” replied Giles reas¬ 
suringly. Then, in low tones, he laid out his plan 
to his appreciative friend. 

“ It is a fine thought,” exclaimed Gurth. “ You 
go to Anselm and tell him, and I will stay here 


GILES OF THE STAR 


3 J6 

on guard!” Giles quickly made his way to the 
courtyard below, where he found all the other 
pages sitting about the huge kettles of hot oil. 
The fires were burning briskly, and lighted up 
the gloom of the night. By the light of this fire 
Giles could see to cross to the inner wall, and from 
there he soon made his way to the castle building 
itself. 

All of the men were asleep. Clad in their mail 
armor they presented a strange appearance. It 
looked very uncomfortable but it was necessary, 
for they must be ready at a moment’s warning. 
When he reached his friend’s side he hesitated for 
a moment, wondering what would be the best way 
to put his plan into words. It would be hard for 
Anselm, aroused from a sound sleep, to at once 
put his attention favorably upon a new plan. As 
he stood there the man’s eyes opened for, instead 
of sleeping, he had been lying motionless think¬ 
ing and planning for the morrow. Giles laid his 
finger upon his lips and motioned to Anselm to 
follow him. Without a question the man arose 
and, as silently as ghosts, they stole out of the 
courtyard, not speaking until they reached the 
well-curb. 

“What is it, Giles?” asked the man gravely. 
Giles hesitated. What had seemed a brilliant plan 
to him might be considered silly to an older and 
wiser man. 


GILES'S OPPORTUNITY 317 

“ When Gurth and I left the castle the other 
day he took me through a secret passage that led 
out of the chapel. I do not know where the door¬ 
way is, for he blindfolded me, but I do know where 
we came out, for he could not conceal that. It 
was in the swamp. You probably know all about 
that.” 

“ I know of the passage,” replied Anselm. “ If 
we are overcome I planned to escape that way with 
the various members of the family.” 

“ Well, I have a plan that I wanted to tell you 
about,” continued Giles. “ I thought that if you 
could take a group of men out of the castle and 
around the enemy you could catch them between 
two parts of our soldiers. They don’t expect any 
attack from us. They think they have us trapped. 
You could go through the secret passage and, led 
by some one who knew the way, cross the swamp, 
coming upon them from the rear.” 

Giles looked up at the man by his side. It was 
lighter now, for the moon had risen, so Giles could 
see the dim outline of the man’s face. It was set 
and stern, and from its expression Giles could not 
tell whether his plan was favorably accepted. He 
waited anxiously, yet without interrupting. At 
last Anselm spoke. 

“ It is a good plan,” he said slowly. “ If we 
could be sure that our force of men was sufficient. 
I do not care to make the decision unadvised by 


GILES OF THE STAR 


318 

those who have had more experience in sieges than 
I have had. Come, lad, we will go into the hall 
and tell the other knights of the plan! ” 

Giles’s heart gave a throb of gratitude as he 
listened to Anselm proposing his plan to the other 
knights, for the man told them frankly that it was 
to Giles that they owed the idea. Most of the 
younger men about the castle were strongly in 
favor of such a plan and were anxious to be among 
the attacking force. It was decided that Anselm 
should be in charge of the group that left the castle, 
and that Ralph should command those left behind. 

“We will have to leave almost at once,” said 
Anselm, after naming the men who were to leave, 
“ but before I go there are certain things that I 
wish to tell you, Giles.” 

He drew the boy aside, both out of sight and 
hearing of any of the knights and pages. Then he 
drew from his bosom the same small roll of paper 
that Giles had carried in safety from Avalon to 
Lichester, and handed it to Giles. 

“ It is more than possible that I may never re¬ 
turn to Lichester Castle,” he said, laying his hand 
upon the boy’s shoulder. “ In case I am killed or 
taken prisoner, there is a mission that I want you 
to undertake for me. This packet must be taken 
to King Richard. You know its importance al¬ 
though you do not know its contents. Guard it 
with your life. There is another mission as well. 


GILES'S OPPORTUNITY 319 

The Lady Constance, young Sibert, and Gurth are 
to flee if the castle falls into the enemy’s hands. 
To your care, I leave Millicent. She is to be your 
responsibility. Take her and the packet to the 
king. I can trust him to do the right thing by 
you both.” 

“ I think I should die if anything happened to 
you,” replied Giles. “ You have been like a father 
to me.” 

“ I have loved you like a son,” answered Anselm 
earnestly. “ Therefore, I know that I can trust 
you to complete my work in case anything happens 
to me.” 

“ I will do as you say,” replied Giles. 

“ Come with me, then, that I may show you the 
secret spring,” replied the man, and that was the 
very last word he said to Giles until the moment of 
parting came. Giles never forgot that parting. 
In the faint flickering light of the torches the bare, 
gray rock walls looked grimmer than usual. 
Everything seemed grim, for the faces of the 
knights were set and stern. They were taking a 
desperate chance yet, if they could make the move 
a success, the lives of many would be saved. 

“ Boys, I trust you,” said Anselm. “ Sibert, I en¬ 
trust your mother and brother to you. Remember 
that the first move of Lord Gillies will be to kill 
all of your family. Giles, to you I leave the Lady 
Millicent.” 


320 GILES OF THE STAR 

“ We will not fail you,” replied Sibert simply. 

In another moment they were gone. 

The actual fighting is not the hardest thing to do 
in case of a battle. Many people have approached 
a skirmish in fear and trembling, only to prove 
themselves heroes when it came to the actual fight¬ 
ing. Sometimes the hardest thing of all is the 
anxious waiting for something to happen. As soon 
as the secret panel slipped back into position, Giles 
returned to his post on the wall. Time went by 
slowly. Giles was in a fever of anxiety. Some¬ 
where out in the dark quiet of the night, Anselm 
with his followers was slipping nearer and nearer 
to the unsuspecting enemy. Giles wondered where 
they were, and whether all things were going as 
they had hoped. He knew there would be a big 
outcry from the enemy, and it was for this outcry 
that the boy lying in tense silence waited. Yet only 
the soft sleepy noises of the night came to his ears. 

It grew later and later, each moment seeming 
an eternity to the anxious boy. Perhaps something 
had happened to Anselm and the other knights. 
Giles shivered at this thought, for if Anselm was 
hurt in this undertaking the boy felt that it would 
be in a large measure his fault, for had he not been 
the one to suggest the plan? He had wanted to go 
with the knights that he might be with Anselm in 
time of danger, but that was impossible for he had 
been given a task to perform. He slipped his hand 


GILES'S OPPORTUNITY 321 

into his bosom to feel for the safety of the packet, 
then settled back with a sigh of relief. He did not 
know its contents, it is true, but he did know that 
Anselm attached much importance to it and that 
until it was back in Anselm’s possession or handed 
to King Richard of England, he must not relax 
his vigilance for its safety. 

Still, nothing happened. Surely it must be 
drawing on toward dawn, for the night had seemed 
ages long. It seemed as if those in the attacking 
force had had more than enough time to reach 
their destination, yet the silence could be felt. 
Below him in the courtyard he could see the men 
hurrying about in the light of the fires, and he 
knew that they were busy making final prepara¬ 
tions for the attack. In case Anselm failed, the 
safety of those in the castle would lie in these men’s 
hands. More time dragged by. 

Giles began to wonder what would happen to 
him and to the Lady Millicent if the siege held 
defeat for Lichester. He could not imagine a life 
in which Anselm held no part. If anything hap¬ 
pened to Anselm he would lose not only his hero, 
but his best friend as well. He wondered what his 
life would have been if Anselm had not taken him 
in the first place. It seemed strange that a knight 
like Anselm was willing to bother with a helpless 
baby, moreover, a peasant baby who had been 
brought to him in a market-basket covered by a 


GILES OF THE STAR 


322 

linen towel, and yet it had also seemed strange 
that Anselm had chosen to live in a secret cave on 
the mountainside for so long. Giles now knew 
that it had been for the sake of the Lady Milli- 
cent, that he might watch over his sister’s child 
and keep her from all harm, but why should such 
a man take a baby boy? Where had Nanny, Mil- 
licent’s old nurse, found the baby whom she had 
brought to Anselm in a market-basket? Whose 
baby was it? What had happened to its father 
and mother? And still the silence of the enemy’s 
camp lay unbroken. Where was Anselm? 


CHAPTER XXVII 


DAWN 

FLICKERING torches lit up the dark under¬ 
ground passage and cast weird shadows of ghostly 
warriors upon the walls. The sound of their own 
steps, muffled and dully reechoing, was appalling. 
Darkness has always seemed an enemy of men. 
Anselm and his men passed through the gloomy 
tunnel and out into the clammy murkiness of the 
old ruin in the swamp. Strong hearts shrank from 
the mysterious and unfamiliar gloom of the room 
into which they came at its end, for strange lights 
had been seen previously in the vicinity of the old 
tower, and repute had it that the place was haunted 
by the spirits of the dead. Only desperation would 
have induced those men to enter upon such an ad¬ 
venture. 

The walls of the cell-like room into which they 
came were made of granite blocks. The water 
which had seeped in and run down the sides of 
the wall made the whole place damp. Green 
lichens grew upon the wall. As they crossed the 
floor a large rat ran across their path and scurried 
into a hole in the wall. It was with a feeling of 
relief that they left the ruin for the open air. 

323 


GILES OF THE STAR 


3 2 4 

One of the villagers, who had stood on the wall 
of Lichester watching the flames of the enemy 
destroy his beloved home, was their guide. He 
professed to know every path and byway the 
swamp contained, and black hatred in his heart 
for the enemy who had robbed him of home urged 
him on. They went slowly, for a single misstep 
to either left or right might have meant falling 
into water and mud neck deep, where, weighted 
down as they were by pounds of metal, rescue 
would be difficult, if not absolutely impossible. 

The swamp was dark and dreary. Fortunately 
for the success of the undertaking it was late sum¬ 
mer rather than early spring, for dry weather had 
lowered the level of the pools of water, making it 
possible for them to cross in safety. During the 
spring months to cross it during the day would be 
difficult, and at night utterly impossible. Although 
the moon had risen and was nearly full, the over¬ 
hanging branches of trees shut out its light. 

For nearly half a mile they crept cautiously on, 
in single file. At last, coming to a slight rise in 
the land, they left the muck and mire of the quag¬ 
mire for the safer, drier wooded hill beyond. 
Here Anselm called a halt. Leaving most of his 
men stretched at full length on the ground, he 
ascended the hill to a place of vantage from which 
he could see the glowing embers of the enemy’s 
camp. All seemed quiet, but Anselm was not to 


DAWN 


325 

be deceived by appearances. Well he knew that 
guards watched over the safety of the sleeping 
camp and, although all seemed quiet and sleeping, 
there were watchful eyes alert to see and keen ears 
listening for the slightest sound. 

Anselm fingered the hilt of his sword. His 
enemy was lying asleep in one of the tents of the 
foe. The time had come when the last struggle 
between the two would take place. Up to now 
most of the advantage had seemed to be with Al¬ 
ford. In the first encounter between the two men 
Anselm had been left in the road for dead. While 
Anselm was lying there unconscious, Alford had 
murdered his own brother, the Lady Millicent’s 
father. Even later, Millicent herself had been 
forced to flee from her wicked uncle. Up to now 
Alford had been the winner. Anselm shut his 
teeth together grimly. Alford had had things his 
own way altogether too long. It should be An¬ 
selm’s turn now. 

“ Oh, if I can only get him alive,” ..thought the 
man. u There is much that I would have him 
know.” 

Having ascertained the direction of the camp 
and having made a comprehensive note of the 
easiest way to get there, he returned to his com¬ 
rades. In low, guarded tones he told them what 
he had seen and outlined to them his plan. 

“ We will spread out at first, coming out upon 


GILES OF THE STAR 


326 

them from as many directions as possible,” he 
whispered. “ Until the attack is made be silent, 
but when the signal is given fall upon them with 
shouts of victory. We want to confuse them. Let 
the first attack be scattered. Then close in about 
the tent of Lord Gillies. Once he is taken, our 
position is safe.” 

For some time they waited. It was nearly dawn. 
All about them were the rustle of leaves in the 
breeze and the whirr of the little night insects. 
No noise came to them from the enemy’s camp. 
All seemed hushed and quiet. 

At last Anselm called his men together for final 
directions. The time was at hand. To the summit 
of the hill they climbed, then down over the other 
side. The wind that had favored the boys at 
watch on the castle wall earlier that evening was 
decidedly against Anselm and his men. Any little 
noise that might be made by any one of them would 
be blown to the ears of the men on watch. 

Nearer and nearer they crept, yet still there was 
no sign of life from the sleeping camp. Following 
Anselm’s directions they separated in order that 
they might approach from as many sides as pos¬ 
sible. Anselm himself with two others made his 
way toward the place where the largest of the 
fires glowed dimly. It was here where he ex¬ 
pected to find the two men who were his enemies. 
He was nearly there when a stick cracked beneath 


DAWN 


327 

the feet of one of his men. The man fell heavily 
with a smothered oath and, in a moment, the sharp 
cry of one of the men on guard aroused the sleep¬ 
ing camp. 

There were startled exclamations followed by 
the ringing shouts of Anselm’s men as they charged 
down upon their half-awake foes. The advantage, 
however, was not entirely upon Anselm’s side for 
the enemy numbered three to their one, but roused 
up from a sound sleep to find one’s foe making an 
attack is confusing, to say the least. Like Anselm’s 
men they were fully armed, that they might be 
ready in case of any emergency. 

There was the clang of steel against steel as 
sword met sword. ’ Shouts of exultation mingled 
with groans of pain. In the dim light, fighting 
back and forth, it was hard to tell enemy from 
friend. Men fell only to struggle with difficulty to 
their feet, weighed down as they were with their 
armor. When the alarm was given Anselm rushed 
ahead of the others to the largest of the tents. 
Knocking down the men who seemed to spring up 
at his feet like magic he pushed aside the cloth 
doorway of the tent, calling loudly to those within. 

“ Alford of Avalon,” he shouted, “ I bid you 
come forth and fight this matter out with me.” 

Lord Alford, startled and bewildered, came out 
of the doorway. 

“And who are you?” he replied huskily, al- 


GILES OF THE STAR 


328 

though he recognized the voice that he had not 
heard for more than a dozen years. In that flash 
of time he seemed to realize that the fate, which 
he had feared since learning that the blow he had 
struck at Anselm years before had not been a fatal 
one, was upon him. Even more than he had hoped 
to regain the little Lady Millicent had he hoped to 
down his enemy forever, to see the entire family 
of Lichester wiped out. And now the time had 
come when he and his enemy stood face to face, 
but he was unarmed. In the hasty manner in 
which he had been aroused from slumber he had 
not taken his sword. 

Anselm threw the door open wider so the light 
of the fire just outside the tent shone in, lighting 
the interior dimly. A single glance showed him 
the condition of spirit Alford was in. To have at¬ 
tacked and killed him then and there would have 
been an easy matter, but it wasn’t Anselm’s way 
to take advantage of one who was down, even if 
that one was the man who had ruined his life. A 
glance about the tent showed the location of Al¬ 
ford’s sword and also a flagon of wine. Anselm 
lifted the latter and handed it to Alford. 

“ Drink,” he said curtly. Without a word Al¬ 
ford raised the flagon to his lips and drank. While 
he was doing this Anselm went to the place where 
he had seen Alford’s sword and brought it back to 
the lightest part of the space. Outside, the battle 


DAWN 


329 

still raged furiously, and neither the grim-faced, 
watching Anselm nor the sullen, brooding Alford 
could tell by the noise which side was winning. 
When the last drop of the wine had been drained 
Anselm sent Alford’s sword flying through the air 
toward him. The point of it was embedded in the 
dirt floor where it stood upright, glittering evilly 
in the light of the fire. 

The wine had cleared Alford’s head. A savage 
light came into his face as he laid hold of his 
sword. Sword clashed against sword. Like two 
savage creatures they fought, Anselm to avenge the 
wrong that had been done to him and his, Alford 
for life and hate. Anselm’s mind flashed back to 
the dozen years before, when he and this man had 
fought and he had been downed. He had been a 
mere stripling then, and that had been his first 
real battle. Then it had been man against boy 
and the man, by reason of his greater strength, had 
won. 

Things were different now. Anselm was a man 
with all a healthy, young man’s strength. His life 
on the open hillside, with the rigid training that 
he had laid out for himself, had turned his muscles 
into steel bands, while Alford’s love of luxury was 
beginning to tell against him. A prettier bit of 
sword-play would have been difficult to find, for 
both men were noted for their ability. There, in 
the dim light of the flickering fire, they struggled, 


33 o GILES OF THE STAR 

keen of eye and quick of hand. For minutes they 
fought, neither gaining the advantage. 

In the midst of the struggle a soldier of Liches- 
ter sprang into the tent. 

“ They are gaining upon us,” he cried excitedly. 
“ They are on their way here now.” 

Alford laughed sardonically. 

“Your usual luck still holds good, O man of 
Lichester,” he sneered. “ I have always won 
against you and I shall win this time.” 

“ They come! ” gasped the man-at-arms. “ They 
will trap you here.” 

“ Hold the door against them,” snapped Anselm. 

The blood-stained face of the man-at-arms whit¬ 
ened at this command, for he was but one against 
many, but without thought of disobedience he 
stationed himself by the doorway, just in time to 
stop the rush of two of Lord Gillies’s men. The 
situation was critical for, by the sound from out¬ 
side, Anselm could tell that the fighting was get¬ 
ting nearer and, if possible, fiercer. Something 
must be done at once for he could see that the man 
on guard was hard pressed. More fiercely than 
ever did he return Alford’s charge, but his enemy 
was fighting well, too. He realized that help 
would come if he could but hold Anselm off a little 
longer. 

There was a shout from the doorway. Anselm 
could see that the man-at-arms had been forced to 


DAWN 


33 i 


his knees and, although he was still pluckily en¬ 
deavoring to hold back the foe, his chances of do¬ 
ing so amounted to little. It was time to bring 
things to a close. A clever twist of the wrist, the 
same old trick, followed by a lunge of the sword 
and his enemy lay bleeding on the ground. Then 
Anselm turned to face the newcomers. 

More men came up, both friends and enemies, 
and the hottest part of the battle raged about the 
tent of the wounded Alford of Avalon. First one 
side seemed to be gaining, then another. Un¬ 
hampered by suits of mail the villagers of Liches- 
ter were able to move about much more easily than 
the armor-clad knights but, on the other hand, they 
were not so well protected. 

“ Capture Gillies,” shouted Anselm, above the 
din of the battle. 

Night was giving way to dawn. Faint gray 
dawn it was, just streaked with light along the 
eastern horizon. The blazing of the enemies’ tents 
showed that the villagers had not forgotten Liches- 
ter Town. In the grim light of burning tents the 
men of Lichester looked for Lord Gillies. His 
plump little figure was nowhere visible, but at 
length a keen-eyed villager beheld something mov¬ 
ing in a clump of bushes. Upon investigating, 
Lord Gillies was discovered in hiding. When it 
came to making a fine tower in which other men 
were to fight Gillies stood supreme, but when it 


GILES OF THE STAR 


332 

came to actual fighting he preferred to view mat¬ 
ters from a bramble-bush. That ended the fight 
for, fearing instantaneous death, Gillies at once 
called off his men, bidding them to surrender. 

Just as the sun arose in the east the big draw¬ 
bridge of Lichester was lowered for the trium¬ 
phant little body of men-at-arms with a bloody, 
disheveled Anselm at their head. Securely bound 
and expostulating vehemently was a red-faced, 
angry little Lord Gillies. There was no scratch 
or blemish upon him, for he had been careful to 
look out for his skin. In a rude litter, moaning 
faintly and delirious, lay Lord Alford of Avalon. 

At the gate of the inner courtyard stood the 
cheering women of the castle with pages and 
squires. Millicent’s eyes widened as she saw her 
Uncle Alford’s white face and blood-stained garb. 
Then her eyes turned to Uncle Anselm. His cloth¬ 
ing was blood-stained as well, but the light of vic¬ 
tory shone in his eyes. They were like blue flames. 
His quest was nearly at an end. He had turned 
the defeat of years into victory, and the victory was 
sweet. 

Straight to the inner hall he went to find Lord 
Sibert. Both the Lady Constance and Giles ac¬ 
companied him there. Lord Sibert was still faint 
from loss of blood, but his mind was clear, and 
joy is a wonderful healer. Kneeling by his 
brother’s side Anselm rendered an account of all 


DAWN 


333 

that had happened during the night, not forgetting 
to give Giles the credit of having suggested the 
plan. 

“ I bring you back a prisoner,” he said, in finish¬ 
ing. “ Gillies is bound securely and is in your 
dungeon, but I have one request to make.” 

“ And that? ” asked Sibert. 

“Alford is my prisoner,” continued Anselm. 
“ My request is that he be left to me.” 

“ It shall be so,” replied Sibert. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


GILES OF AVALON 

LlCHESTER rejoiced. Its enemies were safely 
bound and imprisoned in its damp, underground 
dungeon. Lord Gillies would never again be the 
thorn in Lord Sibert’s flesh. Where he had ex¬ 
pected failure was brilliant success. The cloud 
which had overhung the future of the little Lady 
of Avalon had been lifted. All this had been ac¬ 
complished through the success of Anselm’s night 
attack upon the camp of the enemy. 

Had this attack proved a failure, Giles would 
have been miserably unhappy, for he would have 
felt that as he had suggested the plan blame was 
upon his shoulders, but the plan had not proved a 
failure. Beyond all hope it had been successful 
and, consequently, Giles was radiantly happy. No 
longer was he looked upon as a simple peasant lad, 
lifted out of his natural station of life. He had 
proved his worth, for all this joy that pervaded the 
castle was the result of the masterly carrying out 
of his plan. At last, in some measure, he had been 
able to repay Anselm for the love which he had 
lavished upon him, as well as to render service to 
Lord Sibert for taking him into his castle as a 
page. 


334 


GILES OF AVALON 335 

No longer was he called the peasant boy of Ava¬ 
lon. The name, Giles of the Star, was more and 
more frequently upon the lips of those about the 
castle. Millicent was very happy over all this for 
she felt that, whereas Giles had sworn fealty to her 
and had come to Lichester Castle in her service, in 
some measure he was bound to her and was her 
property. Her feeling for him was one of deep 
affection, and the sneers of the young ladies of the 
castle as to her interest in a common peasant boy 
had been hard to bear. 

All the folk of the castle rejoiced, and great was 
the celebration at the lifting of the siege. Such a 
feast had never before graced the dinner-boards of 
the castle. Never had such delicious food been 
more abundantly served nor had merriment run so 
high. In the midst of the feast a messenger ar¬ 
rived at the castle, bearing the news that King 
Richard himself had reached England. 

At once trustworthy messengers on swift horses 
were dispatched to bear to the king tidings of what 
had befallen at Lichester and, in the course of the 
next few weeks, returned with a message that set 
the hearts of all Lichester athrill with excitement 
and pleasure, for great honor was to be done to the 
Lord of Lichester. The king himself was to visit 
the castle on his way to his own. 

Cleanliness was never considered next to godli¬ 
ness in the days of old. A bath was the event of a 


GILES OF THE STAR 


336 

lifetime. Some people even considered water un¬ 
healthy. Bones and scraps of food were thrown 
down among the rushes that covered the floor of 
the great hall, and the same rushes remained upon 
the floor meal after meal. But now all was 
changed. All must be put in readiness for the 
coming of the king. 

The dirty rushes were gathered up and disposed 
of to make room for the new sweet-smelling ones 
that were laid down in their stead. The long 
boards from which the knights were accustomed 
to eat were each scoured white with sand. Table¬ 
cloths were washed and spread out in the sun to 
bleach. New garments of most wonderful cut and 
color were designed for all the lords and ladies. 
The whole castle was alive with the preparations 
made in honor of the newly-returned king, and 
men, women, and children, from Lord Sibert him¬ 
self down to the humblest stable boy, felt the re¬ 
sponsibility and importance of the coming event. 

All, with the notable exception of the two pris¬ 
oners in the dungeon, were filled with joy at the 
honor which was about to be done Lichester. An¬ 
selm’s face seemed lighted by the white flame of 
joy, for at last his task was reaching completion. 
Giles regarded his friend curiously. 

The boy found himself wondering what the im¬ 
mediate future held for him. Twice a mysterious 
packet had been intrusted into his hands with the 


GILES OF AVALON 


337 

instruction that, in case anything happened to An¬ 
selm, it should be taken to King Richard. He won¬ 
dered what were the contents of this mysterious 
packet. Twice it had been placed in his charge, 
and well he knew that Anselm attached great im¬ 
portance to its safety, but of what it contained the 
boy was ignorant. He felt sure, however, that in 
some way the packet had something to do with his 
past, and perchance it held his future as well. 
Would Anselm give it to Richard himself, or was 
it only to be given to the king in case disaster fell 
upon Benedict of Lichester? Giles wondered. 

“ Even if that packet contains nothing about 
me,” he thought, u and if I am only a peasant boy 
of humble parentage, I can be a knight inside.” 

The days sped quickly by like golden beads of 
happiness, each bringing nearer the day set for the 
coming of the king. It was fall. The leaves were 
turning crimson and gold, transforming the trees 
into fiery torches of welcome, as Millicent put it. 
Already the peasant people had returned from 
their hiding-places in the forest, and were fever¬ 
ishly at work raising new homes to take the place 
of those burned by the enemy. 

Constant watch was kept upon the tower- 
crowned walls of Lichester, for it would never do 
for the king to come and find them unprepared. 
Sometimes the boys were allowed to take their 
turns as watchers for the king, and not a one of 


GILES OF THE STAR 


338 

them but wanted to be the one upon the wall when 
the king’s retinue should be sighted. 

Late one afternoon Giles, in the new garb of 
castle page, stood upon the wall looking intently 
to the east. Hills and woodlands swam in a many- 
colored haze before his eyes, but his mind was not 
on the beauty of fields and forests. Faint as elfin 
horns, from the far east came the sound of a horn. 
Giles started, then listened intently. So faint and 
far away had it sounded, that it seemed more like 
an echo or fairy horn to the listening lad. Again 
came the golden notes, this time nearer and clearer. 
Giles lifted his horn to his lips, glad now that this 
branch of his education had not been neglected. 
Again, for the third time, the call came, saying as 
plainly as if it had spoken the words, “ Behold, the 
king cometh. Make ye ready to receive him.” 

Giles then blew a welcoming blast which was 
taken up by others on the wall. At this signal the 
courtyard seemed to bestir itself, as if awaking 
from slumber. Men hurried this way and that. A 
very few minutes later, with a protesting squeak 
and rattle, the drawbridge was lowered and the 
portcullis lifted. Across the bridge swept a gay 
cavalcade of the knights of Lichester, splendid in 
highly-polished armor that caught and reflected 
the rays of the sun in dazzling brilliance, and 
mounted on prancing chargers in trappings of blue 
and silver, crimson and gold. From his lofty posi- 


GILES OF AVALON 339 

tion upon the wall Giles watched the expert rid¬ 
ing, with the same thrill of pleasure that he had 
felt before when he had seen the gay hunting- 
parties ride from Avalon. 

He stayed upon the wall until the returning 
knights had almost reached the castle wall. Then 
he hurried to the courtyard to join Roger and 
Gurth, who were standing with the castle pages 
in a group. With a great shout and the ringing 
of little bells the knights swept into the yard of 
the castle. Never had Giles seen the like. The 
bravest men of all England were there, men who 
not only were of noble rank but men who had 
actually shown themselves to be brave and trust¬ 
worthy as well. Giles’s heart thrilled as he saw 
Anselm riding with so goodly a company. 

Almost at once, he distinguished the king. No 
one could have mistaken that noble man for any 
one less in rank. He was taller than any of his 
companions and he bore himself as would a king. 
Gazing with the most intense admiration, the boy’s 
keen eyes took note of his erect carriage, his pierc¬ 
ing blue eyes, and his arms that seemed as strong 
as iron bands. Every line of the kingly figure pro¬ 
claimed strength and courage to the group of ad¬ 
miring pages. 

Then something unforeseen happened. One of 
the king’s royal standards, carried by a young 
squire, slipped from the young man’s grasp and 


GILES OF THE STAR 


34 ° 

fell to the dusty courtyard. Just before its silken 
folds touched the ground a small figure darted be¬ 
tween the prancing horses and caught it up. It 
was Roger who had saved the king’s standard from 
being trampled upon beneath the horse’s feet, and 
it was Roger who was now in danger of those same 
feet, for he had been kicked in the leg and had 
fallen, still holding fast, however, to the banner. 
He was lying almost under the horse’s feet. Giles 
had seen the accident and, without thought of self, 
sprang forward, and seizing the horse’s bridle, 
turned the beast aside. 

Not many saw the incident and nothing was said 
of it at the time for Roger was not badly hurt, and 
the standard was uninjured, but the king’s blue 
eyes had taken note of the matter. He looked 
keenly at the two boys who, in so simple and unas¬ 
suming a manner, had showed their bravery. 

“ ’Twas a brave deed most modestly done,” he 
muttered to himself. “ I will remember the lads.” 

It was not until the following morning that any 
reference was made to the recent happenings at 
Lichester. That night the inmates of the castle 
ate, drank, and made merry, while below in the 
dark dungeons far underground Lord Gillies 
cursed his foolishness in allowing his loyalty to 
waver from Richard to John. Alford gritted his 
teeth when he thought of his enemy Anselm high 
in the favor of the king and beyond his vengeance. 


GILES OF AVALON 


34i 

In gloomy foreboding the two men waited for the 
morrow—the day which was to seal their doom. 

The following morning King Richard held 
court in the big gloomy hall of Lichester. Again 
Lord Sibert and his knights swore fealty to him, 
in meekest submission, owning him to be their mas¬ 
ter and king. So impressive a ceremony was it that 
Giles never forgot it, although what came after¬ 
ward was much more spectacular and unbeliev¬ 
able. Sibert himself, on bended knee, placed his 
two hands between those of his king, swearing to 
him his loyalty and service. 

When Gillies and Alford were brought before 
the stern-faced king, there came an account of the 
siege of Lichester Castle. In clear-cut sentences 
Sibert told of the building of the tower, his own 
inability to take charge of the siege, and of his 
brother’s successful night attack. Alford’s face 
grew black with rage upon hearing the praise 
lavished upon Anselm. At Richard’s request, An¬ 
selm told of the attack and, to the unbounded joy 
of Giles, his friend called him forth and gave him 
credit for the plan which had met with such suc¬ 
cess. The boy’s face flushed with embarrassment 
as the great king, Richard the Lion-Hearted him¬ 
self, arose from the big chair and laid his hand 
upon the boy’s shoulder, but Giles’s eyes met those 
of the king fairly and trustfully. 

“ England needs such lads as you, my boy,” said 


GILES OF THE STAR 


342 

King Richard. “ Grow in wisdom and loyalty, 
that she may never call and find you wanting.” 

Again Alford’s face was flushed with hate, for 
he had been informed that Giles was also the boy 
who had accompanied his niece in safety from 
Avalon, and he had noticed the glance of pride and 
affection that she gave him as he withdrew. No 
one noticed the swinging door nor seemed to see 
the humble peasant woman who entered the big 
hall. All were too intent upon what was going on 
about the king, for sentence was being made upon 
Lord Gillies. This fell heavily, for although his 
life was spared to him all his lands and wealth 
were declared forfeited to the crown. Part of his 
wealth was turned over to Lord Sibert as a recom¬ 
pense for the loss done to Lichester, while the rest 
was kept by the king. As for Gillies himself, he 
was given a certain number of days in which to 
leave England. Then Lord Alford was brought 
before the king. 

“What charge is brought against this man?” 
asked the king sternly. 

Anselm stepped forward. At the sight of his 
arch enemy, Alford’s muscles tightened and, in 
spite of pain from his wound which had barely be¬ 
gun to heal, he made a powerful attempt to reach 
Anselm; but to no avail, for he was drawn back 
by his guards, cursing wildly. 

“What grievance has this rascal against you, 



“England needs such lads as you, my boy,” said King 

Richard .—Page 341 . 





















GILES OF AVALON 


343 

Benedict of Lichester? ” said the king, turning to 
Anselm. Anselm, taking the small hand of the 
Lady Millicent into his own big one, led her for¬ 
ward. 

“ He is angered, Your Majesty, because I inter¬ 
fered with his plans to sell Lady Millicent of Ava¬ 
lon to outlaws, that he might assume ownership of 
her inheritance. He had always been a traitor, 
both to you and to your father before you. Twelve 
years ago he was outlawed. At the same time 
Roderick of Gaine was appointed guardian to the 
motherless and fatherless baby Millicent. When 
he died, Alford, with the approval of your brother 
John, took the guardianship, thus taking advan¬ 
tage of your absence. He made plans to sell her 
to outlaws. Giles and I found out those plans, 
frustrated them, and brought her here. This is 
the Lady Millicent of Avalon. Great wrong has 
been done to her. I ask for justice.” 

Lady Millicent dropped a deep curtsey and 
stood gazing trustfully into the regal face above 
her. The stern features softened involuntarily, for 
Lady Millicent, clad in her favorite blue with her 
curls a shower of gold upon her shoulders, was a 
winsome little lass; but there was trouble in his 
regard as well. This child was not fit to be mis¬ 
tress of a castle. She could neither prepare men 
for service nor defend her castle in case of an at¬ 
tack. Yet she was the only one that bore the old 


GILES OF THE STAR 


344 

name of Avalon. There was a hush throughout 
the room, as if every one felt that great matters 
hung in the balance. 

“ Again much credit is due to the boy, Giles, for 
it was he who made it possible to escape. Many 
times her life depended upon his wisdom and cour¬ 
age. Traveling as street-singers they came to 
Lichester. Later, when Lord Sibert’s son was a 
prisoner in the hands of Alford and Gillies, it was 
Giles who rescued him. He led them a merry 
chase through the forest only to escape from their 
clutches at the end, that he might bring those at 
Lichester warning of Gillies’s plans. It was he 
who suggested a secret night expedition,” went on 
Anselm, much to Giles’s embarrassment. 

“ A fine, fine lad,” muttered Richard. 

At this information Alford’s face grew black 
with hatred, but this time the hatred was directed 
at Giles. To be foiled in his evil plans by so young 
a boy was galling to the proud man. To think that 
it was because of this simple peasant boy that he 
was now on trial for his life was infuriating. If 
looks were able to do bodily harm, no longer would 
there be a King Richard of England, a family of 
Lichester, or a peasant boy named Giles. 

“ Alford of Avalon shall be punished,” said 
Richard sternly, “ but,” he added, turning to An¬ 
selm, “ about giving the castle of Avalon into the 
slender hands of a girl-child, I am doubtful. She 


GILES OF AVALON 


345 

would be unable to train men for my army or to 
defend her own castle in case of attack. I will pro¬ 
vide for her. I, myself, will be her guardian and 
see that when she comes of proper age she will be 
married to one of high rank, but, as to Avalon, I 
must make other plans. You, Benedict of 
Lichester, have served me faithfully. I will give 
Avalon to you and knight you Lord of Avalon in 
return for the service that you have rendered me.” 

Tears welled into the eyes of the Lady Millicent, 
for since the capture of Lord Alford her hopes of 
regaining her beloved castle had run high. Much 
as she loved Uncle Anselm, it seemed hard that 
her castle should be given to one who was not of 
the name of Avalon. A curious smile came into 
Anselm’s face, while Alford’s grew even blacker 
' with envy. 

“ I appreciate the generosity of Your Majesty,” 
replied Anselm, “ and I am grateful for the offer, 
but in case the Lady Millicent had been a boy 
would you not have appointed a guardian?” 

“ Had Lady Millicent been a boy she would 
have grown into a man who could both fight and 
prepare men for war. Time alone would have 
been needed to fit her for knighthood and being 
Lord of Avalon. Yes, would that she were a boy! ” 

Again Anselm smiled. 

“ In case she had a brother,” he went on, “ the 
castle would be given to him? ” 


GILES OF THE STAR 


346 

“ It would,” replied Richard. 

“ Giles,” called Anselm softly, “ come to me.” 

Wonderingly, Giles stepped forward to his 
friend’s side. Anselm then drew forward the 
Lady Millicent. 

“ Look well, O king,” he said. As he spoke, 
he brushed the hair back from the foreheads of 
both children. “ Can you not see a resemblance, 
both in feature and in coloring? ” He turned to 
the Lady Constance. “You knew Lady Evelyn 
well, for you were her friend, my sister. Does not 
the likeness between this lad and your dead sister- 
in-law often startle you? ” 

“ I noticed it from the first,” replied Lady Con¬ 
stance steadily. “ When first I saw Giles at the 
tavern as a wandering minstrel, I noted a likeness 
which I mentioned to my lord, Sibert.” 

“ Let me tell you a story, Your Majesty,” went 
on Anselm. “ Times were troublous at Avalon 
twelve years ago, as well you remember. The 
very day that the Lady Millicent was born, her 
father was murdered by this man in the forest. 
The shock killed my sister, but before she died she 
sent a messenger for me. I could not come for I 
was lying at that time nearly dead at the old mon¬ 
astery of the good fathers. You all know that 
much of the story, but that is not all. Twins were 
born that night at the castle of Avalon and, because 
my sister was frightened by the thought that the 


GILES OF AVALON 


347 

wicked Alford might be made guardian to her 
helpless little ones, she gave the boy-child to her 
own faithful nurse, telling her to hide him away 
and care for him for her sake. ‘ Name him Giles, 
in honor of his dead father/ she whispered to the 
old nurse. ‘ In case my brother Anselm lives, give 
my little son to him. In case he is dead, take my 
baby to Sibert.’ I recovered, so the baby boy came 
into my charge. I brought him up in secret. This 
lad is Giles of Avalon, twin brother to Lady Mil- 
licent.” 

There was a stunned silence, as if the hearers 
were momentarily paralyzed by this information. 
With mouth wide open in astonishment, Giles 
looked up at Anselm. There was a puzzled ex¬ 
pression on the face of the Lady Millicent. 

“ Have you any proof of this wild tale? ” gasped 
the king. 

“ My word of honor should be proof enough,” 
replied Anselm proudly, “ for my word is to be 
trusted. Furthermore, I am willing to challenge 
any man that may doubt my word to a trial by com¬ 
bat, but wishing to convince Your Majesty beyond 
doubt, I have sent to Avalon for the one woman 
who can verify my statement.” 

“Nanny,” gasped Lord Sibert, as the old woman 
stepped forward. 

“ Do you know the woman? ” asked the king, in 
amazement. 


GILES OF THE STAR 


348 

“ She was my old nurse, as she was nurse to my 
sister and my sister’s children,” replied Sibert, add¬ 
ing as an afterthought, “ I have never known her 
to lie.” 

“Tell your tale, woman,” said King Richard 
sternly, “ and be truthful, or it will be the worse 
for you.” 

u The tale has been almost told, Your Majesty,” 
replied Nanny. “ After bidding me take the child 
into hiding, Lady Evelyn kissed his tiny face and 
cried a bit, poor dear. Then I took him from her 
arms, wrapped him in a soft white linen towel and 
laid him in a market-basket. My poor young lady 
died that very night, so I left the other baby in 
the charge of another nurse while I secreted the 
young lord of the castle in the hidden passage of 
Avalon. Anxious work it was, tending the two of 
them, and happy was I indeed when the younger 
brother of my lady took the care and weight from 
my shoulders.” 

Again a deep silence rested over those gathered 
before the king, for even more than it had been 
before came the realization that great matters 
swung in the balance. The king looked so steadily 
at Giles that the boy felt that every thought was 
open to his knowledge, yet Giles’s answering re¬ 
gard did not waver in its intensity. 

“ Boy,” said the king gravely, “ if I make you 
master of Avalon, will you promise me here and 


GILES OF AVALON 


349 

now that you will make it your life-work to right 
the wrong, follow loyally your king, and always 
love and cherish your sister, Millicent of Ava¬ 
lon? ” 

“ Upon my word of honor, I will always love 
and cherish my sister Millicent, whom I have al¬ 
ready loved since first I swore fealty to her in the 
cave at Avalon. Anselm has always seemed to me 
a perfect knight, so I promise to take him for my 
model in all things knightly, and lastly I promise 
to loyally serve my king.” 

“ Well spoken, my lad,” said the king heartily. 
“ And now, though you are but a lad, I want you 
to swear fealty to me as these others have done.” 

In almost a daze, Giles obeyed. Things were 
happening altogether too rapidly for him to keep 
pace with. He, the lord of the castle and owner of 
Avalon, brother of the high-born little Lady Mil¬ 
licent! It was incredible, merely a highly-col¬ 
ored beautiful dream. He stole a glance at the 
group of pages, as he rose to his feet. Their faces 
showed that they rejoiced in his good fortune. As 
he returned to Anselm, Millicent slipped her 
hands into his. 

“ I am so happy that I do not know how to con¬ 
tain myself,” she whispered to him. “ I have been 
wanting a brother like you ever since I met you on 
the mountainside.” 

“ Anselm,” said Richard, kindly indicating the 


GILES OF THE STAR 


35° 

two children, “ you have been a good friend to 
these young people so, into your hands, I commend 
their future. I know that you will deal fairly with 
them, for when you might have taken Avalon as a 
gift from me you refused it, turning it over to the 
hands of its rightful owners. You will make a 
wise and loving guardian to these young relatives 
of yours.” 

Late that evening Anselm stood out in the court¬ 
yard with an arm about both Giles and Millicent. 
His quest was at an end, and his heart was filled 
with peace. 

“ Look, Anselm,” said Giles, suddenly pointing 
to a particularly bright star in the heavens, “ there 
is my star. The coat of arms of Avalon is now my 
coat of arms for I am of the house of Avalon, but 
it is incomplete without my star. I want you to 
add it to the family crest, for it is a reminder to me 
that even a peasant can be a knight within if he 
aims at a star.” 


The End 












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